MARGARITAVILLE
New musical based
on Jimmy Buffett
songs comes to town
page 10

THANKSGIVING

Volume 49

Issue 12

November 15, 2017

LOYOLA PHOENIX
LOYOLAPHOENIX.COM | @PHOENIXLUC

SEXUAL ASSAULT

AN IMPERFECT PROCESS
One Loyola student says she felt misled by Loyola’s sexual misconduct
investigation process after filing two separate cases at once
MICHEN DEWEY AND
MICHAEL MCDEVITT
mdewey@luc.edu
mmcdevitt@luc.edu

A female Loyola student accused two male students in separate incidents of alleged sexual misconduct on campus earlier this year. While the case
was closed without a resolution, the woman and accused men all concluded Loyola’s process for handling allegations had faults, which made an already
stressful situation worse.
The woman, who spoke to The Phoenix on
the condition that she remain anonymous, said of
sexual violence, “I don’t want to discourage people
from talking about it and coming forward.” But she
said as far as Loyola’s investigation process goes, “I
would not go through this again, and I would not
recommend it for other people.”
Members of the Loyola administration who
were involved in the female student’s case refused
to comment about her case specifically, citing privacy concerns, despite the fact the student gave
The Phoenix permission to discuss her case with

the university.
This isn’t the first time the school has faced
complaints in the wake of gender-based violence.
In one alleged off-campus rape in 2016, a student
complained after a Campus Safety officer failed to
properly file the report of her incident to Loyola’s
administration, leaving the report lost for several
days, The Phoenix reported.
Headlines have been dominated for weeks by
sexual misconduct allegations because of revelations about powerful men in politics and entertainment, but it’s been a long-standing problem on
campuses around the country. One in five women
are sexually assaulted while in college, according to
the National Sexual Violence Resource Center.
In the case of the woman who filed two simultaneous cases during the spring semester of this
year — one being alleged non-consensual sexual
contact, otherwise known as sexual assault, and the
other being alleged non-consensual sexual penetration, which is otherwise identified as rape — she
told The Phoenix she felt the system is flawed.
TITLE IX 5

The Loyola men’s basketball team
(2-0) was ranked No. 106 by ESPN
and No. 92 by Sports Illustrated for
this preseason. Sports Illustrated
also predicted the team winning the
Missouri Valley Conference (MVC)
and taking the 13th seed in the
NCAA tournament.
In the MVC preseason poll, the
team was ranked third and received
one first place vote. Two players — senior guard Donte Ingram and senior
forward Aundre Jackson — earned
first-team preseason All-MVC honors.
With these rankings, one would
think the team is more hyped for the
season, given the predictions of mak-

JULIE WHITEHAIR
jwhitehair1@luc.edu

Loyola University saw a 109 percent
increase in reports of gender-based
misconduct in the 2016-17 academic
year compared to the year prior.
Loyola’s Title IX office, which handles gender-based discrimination and
violence, received 213 reports of gender-based misconduct in the 2016-17
academic year (6/1/2016 - 5/31/17),
according to Jessica Landis, Loyola’s
Title IX deputy coordinator for stu-

Sexual assault reported in
Simpson Center, no CPD report

SAJEDAH AL-KHZALEH
salkhzaleh@luc.edu

Campus Safety reported in its police logs a delayed sexual assault incident that allegedly occurred at Simpson Living and Learning Center.
The incident happened sometime
between Nov. 4 and Nov. 5, according
to the Campus Safety police logs, but
was recorded by Campus Safety Nov. 8.
Campus Safety summarized the
report in a safety bulletin sent to The

Phoenix, saying the department
“took a delayed criminal sexual assault report from an individual with
no Loyola affiliation. Under further
investigation.” The report also said it
was referred to another jurisdiction.
CPD News Affairs Officer Christine Calacey said CPD had no record
of the report on file during the week.
The Phoenix couldn’t reach Campus Safety or Title IX coordinators, after multiple attempts, for comment on
the incident at the time of publication.

dents. There were 102 reports in the
2015-16 academic year.
Landis didn’t say how many of
these reports involved sexual assault.
As of Nov. 8, there have been reports
of 124 cases of gender-based misconduct since June 1 of this year, according
to Landis. Comparatively, there were 87
reports during this time frame in 2016.
Gender-based misconduct includes incidents of discrimination
based on sexual orientation, actual
or perceived sex, gender expression
or identity, pregnancy or parenting

status, dating and domestic violence,
non-consensual sexual contact or
penetration, sexual harassment, sexual exploitation or stalking, according
to Landis. Loyola’s Title IX office has
separate deputy coordinators handling these types of cases for students,
athletics and faculty and staff.
Incidents reported to the Title
IX office don’t necessarily occur at
Loyola or during a student’s time at
the university.
REPORTS 4

Pelissero to step down
as provost next year

ing the NCAA tournament in March.
But, the Ramblers aren’t letting the excitement get to them.
“Those preseason predictions don’t
factor in … newcomers, and the impact they are going to have,” head
coach Porter Moser said. “I put little to
almost no value into preseason rankings, I really don’t. I think it is maybe a
sign that we have a couple vets back …
I wouldn’t approach a nonconference
team that is picked 10 in their conference any differently than a team that is
picked third in their conference.”
Like their coach, the players are
unfazed by the rankings.

CARLY BEHM
cbehm@luc.edu

Steve Woltmann

HYPE 15

The PHOENIX

Gender-based misconduct reports at
Loyola more than doubled within a year

A sexual assault was reported by a non-Loyola affiliated individual in Simspon.

Loyola Athletics

Ben Richardson gave credit to the
team’s first-year players for stepping up.

John P. Pelissero will step down
from his role as provost and chief academic
officer
next year and
take a leave of
absence starting
Jan. 1, according
to an email from
Loyola President
Jo Ann Rooney
to the university.
The
email
Pelissero
sent out Nov. 14
states that Pelissero’s service as provost will end June
30. He will return as a professor of
political science for the 2018-19 aca-

demic school year.
Pelissero has been a part of the
Loyola community for more than 30
years, serving as a faculty member,
department chair, provost and interim president.
Rooney expressed gratitude for Pelissero’s leadership within the university and recognized his commitment
to the Loyola community.

There’s a common theme on The
Phoenix’s front page this week: sexual
misconduct. It’s an issue increasingly
brought into the conversation in
recent weeks, following allegation after
allegation against various celebrities
and public figures, it’s not a new issue
to Loyola University. Reports of genderbased misconduct — discrimination
and violence based on gender — have
been steadily increasing at the school.
I break down the numbers of
these reports on page 1, and several
Loyola departments, including the
Title IX office which handles them
and the Wellness Center, have said
this increase in reporting is a good
thing since it means more people are
speaking out and seeking resources.
The spike in this reporting has been so
high, in fact, that it more than doubled

from the 2015-16 academic year to the
2016-17 academic year.
These reports don’t necessarily
indicate an increase in incidents, and
they don’t necessarily occur at Loyola
or during a student’s time here. But
some students aren’t happy with the
handling of incidents reported to have
been perpetrated by Loyola students.
One student came forward and spoke
to The Phoenix about her experience
reporting incidents of sexual violence
to the school in an effort to seek justice.
Read her story on pages 1 and 5.
While it can be easy to dismiss
these cases and complaints as a distant
issue, perhaps more expected from
Hollywood’s headlines than from
The Phoenix’s, it’s important to
recognize that the issue of gender-based
misconduct in all its forms isn’t always

CONTENTS
NEWS

Taylor Swift emerges
back on the music
scene with a
disappointing album

Off campus
A Loyola student reported a theft involving
electronic funds transferring to Campus Safety.
The incident happened off campus.

5

Times represent when incidents were reported, not necessarily when they occurred.

Tuesday, Nov. 7 | 12:52 a.m.

Off campus
A Loyola student reported a theft involving
electronic funds transferring to Campus Safety.
The incident happened off campus.

2

Monday, Nov. 6 | 2:42 p.m.

6

Wednesday, Nov. 8 | 6:48 a.m.

3

Monday, Nov. 6 | 4:29 p.m.

7

Wednesday, Nov. 8 | 3:26 p.m.

4

1000 block of West Sheridan Road
A battery was reported by a Loyola student
to Campus Safety. The incident happened off
campus and a crime alert was issued.
Lewis Towers
A Loyola student reported a stolen bicycle to
Campus Safety. The incident happened near
the Water Tower Campus.

Monday, Nov. 6 | 7:56 p.m.

6400 block of North Sheridan Road
Campus Safety took a report of criminal sexual
abuse from a Loyola student. The incident
happened off campus and a crime alert was issued.

Website loyolaphoenix.com

so far from home. This can be evidenced
by the recent report of a sexual assault
in the Simpson Living-Learning Center,
also written about on our front page.
Sexual misconduct and rape culture
are a persistent problem on several
levels, from as far away as across the
globe to as close as our own campus.
So while students shouldn’t panic
over this problem, they should be aware
of it, and of resources for support. To
talk to an advocate via Loyola, those in
need of support can call Loyola’s Sexual
Assault Advocacy Line at 773-494-3810.
Resources outside of Loyola include
the Chicago Rape Crisis Hotline (888293-2080) and Rape, Abuse & Incest
National Network (800-656-4673).

8

Loyola CTA Red Line Station
An individual with no affiliation to Loyola was
arrested by Campus Safety for aggravated battery
to a police officer.

Simpson Living-Learning Center
Campus Safety took a delayed criminal sexual assault
report from an individual with no Loyola affiliation.
The incident is under further investigation.

Facebook @TheLoyolaPhoenix

Twitter @PhoenixLUC

Snapchat @LoyolaPhoenix

Instagram @LoyolaPhoenix

NOVEMBER 15, 2017

News

PAGE 3

Marii Herlinger The PHOENIX

Follett Higher Education, the vendor that supplies Loyola’s and many other universities’ bookstores with books and merchandise, was sued for allegedly buying counterfeit textbooks from third parties.

Loyola book vendor faced counterfeit suit

MARII HERLINGER
mherlinger@luc.edu

This year, three major publishing
companies filed a lawsuit against Follett Higher Education, the vendor that
provides textbooks and other merchandise for Loyola’s bookstore.
These publishing companies —
Pearson Education, McGraw-Hill Education and Cengage Learning — sued
Follett in June, according to EdSurge,
an online source that provides news
and research about learning technology. The companies accused Follett of
buying illegally-reproduced materials
from various smaller distribution companies, a practice which would keep
the original publishers from receiving
the money they should be owed.
The lawsuit was dismissed after
Follett agreed to adhere to a number
of guidelines designed to prevent future counterfeit incidents. However,
Carol Wood, a representative of Follett, said that Follett denies the claims
made by the lawsuit.
“We have always categorically denied the allegations in the lawsuit and
we continue to do so,” Wood said.
Joanna Pappas, assistant provost
and director of academic business operations at Loyola, didn’t know about
the lawsuit when asked about it. She
said Loyola renewed and amended

their contract with Follett in April, before the lawsuit was filed.
However, Pappas said if the university had been in the middle of the
hiring process when the lawsuit came
about, there would’ve been many
questions asked.
“We’d have to adhere to the contract, we cannot just drop it,” Pappas
said. “If we do just drop Follett we
would have to refer to the termination
clause in the contract, otherwise they
can turn around and sue us. I cannot
speak for the committee and all of its
constituents but I feel fairly certain we
would have talked about it internally
[had we known about the lawsuit].”
Pappas said the vendor selection
process involves a committee of Loyola
representatives that reviews a series of
presentations from competing vendors.
“We do vet our vendors pretty well
and we have a pretty close contract
that they know they have to comply
with,” Pappas said. “We have an open
house for vendors to come and submit their answers to a whole bunch of
questions and the committee reviews
it based on [Loyola’s] standards. We
invite people to campus, and they
then present in person. It’s an open
forum of back and forth discussion,
with a follow up — it’s a long and fairly detailed process.”
Loyola’s committee provides a

large document of questions, including one asking whether or not the
vendor has been involved in any past
lawsuits, according to Pappas. This
document asks about vendors’ green
initiatives, social justice practices and
hiring practices.
Pappas said she considered the
committee to be fairly well-represented, with members representing
all of Loyola’s campus. She also stood
behind the decision to hire Follett.
“Follett knows our university,” Pappas said. “The gross majority of Jesuit
universities use Follett so they understand our mission and our vision. They
identify with our social justice initiative.”
Wood listed some of Follett’s social justice practices, which include
hurricane and disaster relief, a partnership with Chavez for Charity (a
company that donates a quarter of
their profits to charity), and many
supply and food drives.
Junior Emily Lopez, an elementary
education major, said Follett should’ve
been held more accountable. When
asked how else Follett should have
responded instead, she suggested
that they release the names of the
third-party sellers possibly involved in
counterfeiting textbooks.
Lopez also said that if she were on
the committee responsible for hiring a
vendor, she would prioritize vendors’

social justice practices when vetting
the contenders.
“I believe [social justice practices] is definitely a huge part of why
a vendor should be chosen,” Lopez
said. “Their views should fall similarly in line with what the school
believes and ultimately what the students are going to be involved in as
well. I think [it’s important to] make
sure that the vendor has the students’ best interests in mind, and to
be more open with their resources.”
According to CollegeBoard, the
average student at a private, nonprofit four-year institution will spend
roughly $1,000 on textbooks per year.
Since professors are the ones selecting
course reading material, students are
left to figure out the most affordable
option when buying textbooks.
George Gueorguiev, a 21-year-old
biology major, said if he were on the
committee in charge of vetting potential vendors, he would prioritize prices
as the reason to hire a vendor.
“I know people hate paying for extra stuff on top of tuition and all these
other things so to be perfectly honest
… that’s probably my first concern,”
Gueorguiev said.
Conversely, sophomore Emily
Diecks, a neuroscience major, said
that social justice practices should
take precedence in the vetting process.

“[Social justice] kind of encompasses both fairness for the students
and fairness for the authors and publishers,” Diecks said.
She also voiced her concern over
the practices that led Follett to possibly buy counterfeit materials.
“In the end, even if the book is lower-priced, it’s not fair to buy counterfeit books,” Diecks said.
At the time of the lawsuit, Follett
called it an attempt to prevent them
from offering textbooks and materials to students at low prices, according to EdSurge.
Gueorguiev took issue with Follett’s claim that it was trying to offer
the lowest prices possible.
“I think it’s ridiculous that they
think that they’re offering the lowest
price on anything because at the end
of the day, 90 percent of the time you
can get it cheaper online,” Gueorguiev
said. “I don’t usually get things from
[Loyola’s] bookstore anyway, so for
them to say they’re trying to offer us
lower prices I think is crazy.”
Wood said that Follett is continuing its commitment to addressing
counterfeit issues post-lawsuit.
In addition to adopting the
guidelines, Wood said they are
working closely with publishers to
prevent the future buying and selling
of suspected counterfeits.

Green Element Resale, a thrift store
near Loyola’s Lake Shore Campus, is facing scrutiny for its use of the sidewalk in
front of the store.
Green Element opened in 2010 and
has used the sidewalk outside the store
to display furniture for years. In the
past couple months, complaints from
community members regarding this
sidewalk usage have forced the city to
become involved.
According to Ally Brisbin, the director of economic development and
communications for the office of 48th
Ward Alderman Harry Osterman, the
office has received numerous complaints from a block club — a group of
citizens representing a city block in the
neighborhood — regarding Green Element’s sidewalk usage.
Brian Haag, 54, the owner and
co-founder of Green Element, said having furniture on display benefits people
who want to buy and donate. Haag also
said not being able to use the sidewalk
forces him to decline furniture donation
offers on a daily basis.
“If things aren’t moving out of
the store I have no room to store all
[the items] being offered,” Haag said.
“Whereas when I was using the sidewalk, I was saying yes to 95 percent of
the people who wanted to donate.”
The issue was reported to the De-

partment of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection (BACP). BACP put
Haag’s business license on hold, and he
said he’s working with BACP to try to
make an amendment to the current ordinance that allows him to use the sidewalk after someone has complained.
Chapter 2-25-060 of the Municipal
Code of Chicago says that the city will
issue permits to use public grounds,
determine the price for permits and
advise the City Council in determining prices for special cases that don’t
yet have established rates.
Haag said he would be willing to pay
for the sidewalk just as sidewalk cafes do
because the use of the space makes a big
difference in his revenues.
“When we have furniture on the
sidewalk we do more business that day,”
Haag said. “Minimally, we’ll do another $100 that day … so that represents
$3,000 a month, and minimally.”
Haag said Green Element had two of
its highest grossing days in its eight years
of existence back to back while furniture
was on the sidewalk.
Public Way Use Permits are required
for anyone who wants to use the sidewalk, due to liability to the city and public safety, according to Brisbin. She said
the main issue is there isn’t currently legislation for the purposes Haag was using
the sidewalk for.
“The alderman’s office signs off on
Public Way Use Permits and then they
go down to City Council, but majority of

them are for sidewalk cafes and for signage and awnings,” Brisbin said. “Those
are the primary uses … so there’s processes set up for that but right now
there’s not one for furniture stores.”
Brisbin said the city likes to see sidewalk cafes with some kind of border or
fence to contain tables and chairs, which
allows for a measure of predictability
about the condition of the sidewalk.
Brisbin said they’ve also presented
Haag the option to apply for a Sidewalk Sale Permit, but there’s a limitation on how many days a year a sidewalk sale is allowed.
As a second option, Haag has
been trying to get Loyola to let Green
Element use the empty lot the university owns next to the store so he could
put furniture there.
“I’ve said that I’m willing to pay to
have the lot resurfaced, I will take total
liability, so Loyola wouldn’t have liability, in exchange for me using the lot,”
Haag said. “And I would want to pave it
more like a plaza, and not like a parking lot because I also thought it would
be great to do little free concerts, like
acoustic music or something, things like
that, that the neighborhood could totally benefit from.”
Haag reached out to Jennifer Clark,
Loyola’s associate vice president of
Campus and Community Planning,
about this request.
In an email to The Phoenix, Clark
said Loyola would consider leasing the

Jasmine Patel The PHOENIX

Green Element Resale used the sidewalk in front of its building to display
furniture before citizen complaints caused a conflict with a city ordinance.

lot, but Haag told her he wasn’t interested in a lease.
“Loyola would be doing a really
nice community service to let me use
the lot, and it’s something they aren’t making revenue off now, it’s just
a thing that’s in their control,” Haag
said. “They’d be doing something really nice for the neighborhood.”
Haag said it seems like the ordinance
is simply too hard to change, though
he’s willing to pay for the permit or an
amendment to it.
“If the city doesn’t step up and help
the middle class and small businesses,
how long have we got before Target,
Walmart, Amazon has everything?”
Haag said. “I mean, there’s a Target going in two blocks north of here.”
So far, Haag has gathered more

than 1,500 signatures in favor of Green
Element using the sidewalk during all
business hours.
Brisbin said the alderman’s office
loves Green Element and thinks it’s a
great business.
“They’re a great asset to the community, and we’re working with him to help
him operate within the law of the city of
Chicago,” Brisbin said.
There have been two community
meetings at City Hall so far, one Sept.
7 and one Oct. 12. These meetings
were arranged by BACP in hopes of
finding a resolution to the problems
identified by citizen complaints, but
neither was successful.
Haag said he has a court hearing
where he’ll get his license back, but
hasn’t yet been given a date.

Loyola expects to complete its Climate Action Plan by the 2025 deadline, but not all the proposed processes
of reaching the goal may find fruition.
The 2025 Climate Action Plan
would cut the university’s total annual
production of carbon dioxide emissions to zero — rendering the school
“carbon neutral.” Carbon dioxide is a
greenhouse gas that, when accumulated, traps heat in the atmosphere and
aids in heating the Earth’s surface.
Loyola’s approximate utility budget
is $10 million — which covers electricity, water and natural gas.
Total electricity-produced carbon
emissions reached around 40,400
metric tons of carbon dioxide for the
2015-16 year, according to the term’s
Greenhouse Gas Narrative, an analysis
of Loyola’s carbon emissions from the
fall and spring semesters.
While Loyola is expected to be 15
to 17 percent more energy efficient by
2020, sourcing electricity from clean
off-site energy sources would cut total
university emissions nearly in half, and
more quickly — such off-site sources
of clean energy may include wind and
solar farm, Aaron Durnbaugh, director
of sustainability for the Institute of Environmental Sustainability (IES), said.
The school could purchase by term
from clean energy sources or enter into
a Power Purchase Agreement, which
would supply clean energy for electricity for a set number of years. Institutions
including George Washington University, the Navy and the University of
California have entered into such contracts, according to Durnbaugh, but
progress for Loyola has been slower.
“[The IES] is aware of the pathway of
[purchase agreements], but this particular route is not entirely high on the university’s list right now,” Durnbaugh said.
Bringing in electricity from clean

Andrew DeSantis The PHOENIX

Loyola’s Institute of Environmental Sustainability breaks sources of the school’s carbon emissions into direct emissions
from university infrastructure, off-campus emissions linked to the university and emissions not controlled by the university.

sources could amount to an estimated
2 percent increase in utility costs initially, but the effect would be minimal,
if even detectable, on student tuition
rates, according to Durnbaugh. In observing electricity use over the years,
the figure falls within normal fluctuation range, he said.
Clean energy could be cheaper, too,
depending on the market, but there is a
long-term savings benefit since Power
Purchase Agreements would provide
clean energy to the university in years
to come and leave them with a carbon-neutral legacy, Durnbaugh said.
Emissions are calculated by fiscal or
academic years, running from the beginning of the fall semester to the end
of June.
The 2008 baseline of 85,000 metric
tons of carbon dioxide only accounts for
emissions from the school’s Lake Shore
Campus and Water Tower Campus.
With the 2015-16 year yielding
around 66,000 metric tons of carbon
dioxide, the Lake Shore and Wa-

ter Tower campuses are producing
around 22 percent less carbon dioxide
since 2008, Durnbaugh said.
The IES breaks sources of the
school’s carbon emissions into three
sections or scopes.
The first scope includes direct
emissions from university infrastructure, including university-owned vehicles, refrigeration and on-campus
agriculture. Direct source emissions
account for 19 percent of emissions.
The second scope includes
off-campus emissions linked to the
university — such as pulling electricity from off-site sources — and the
third scope includes all emissions related to, but not controlled by Loyola,
such as air travel and commuting.
“Loyola will be carbon neutral for
directly controlled emissions — Scope
1 and 2 — by 2025,” the Climate Action
Plan’s goal reads.
Scope 3 emissions will be balanced
by offsets — a market tool that reduces emissions in one area to counteract

REPORTS: 74 incidents alleged against students
continued from page 1
Students can report gender-based
misconduct to confidential resources including the Wellness Center,
Loyola’s Sexual Assault Advocacy Line
(773-494-3810) or pastoral counselors. If a student reports an incident
to a non-confidential faculty or staff
member, the hired personnel is required to notify Loyola, according to
the Title IX website. Landis said the
majority of reports come from faculty
or staff members reporting on the behalf of students.
Of last year’s 213 reports, 74 incidents were reported to have been perpetrated by a Loyola student, according to Landis. Of these, 15 resulted
in a formal complaint, compared to
nine formal complaints in the 2015-16
school year. Formal complaints result
in a grievance process, in which cases
are investigated by the university to
determine the responsibility or lack
thereof of the accused.
The grievance process formerly involved a hearing board, but was changed
for this academic year to streamline the
process. Instead, one of 10 investigators
handles each formal case.vv
Landis didn’t disclose how many of
those 15 formal complaints resulted in
disciplinary action, though a student
recently told The Phoenix she closed
two cases she filed in spring this year.
Nationally, sexual assault cases rarely end in prosecution for the assailant.
Out of 1,000 rapes, only six people will
go to jail, according to Rape, Abuse and
Incest National Network (RAINN), a
rape victims advocate group.
Many sexual assaults also go unreported. Of 1,000 rapes, only 310 are
reported to the police, according to
estimates from RAINN.
Mira Krivoshey, assistant director of health promotion at Loyola’s
Wellness Center, who counsels stu-

dents on resources regarding gender-based misconduct, said while
victims often tell friends and family about incidents, survivors often
don’t report to law enforcement for
a variety of reasons, including they
want to forget the incident, don’t
think anything would come from reporting and don’t think the incident
was serious enough to be reported.
Landis said she thinks the increase in reports at Loyola is reflective of a changing culture of awareness and activism rather than a rise
in actual incidents.
“I think it really has to do with the
culture that we’ve seen shifting over
the last few years,” Landis said. “So we
had … student activism happening as
early as like 2009 and onward [with]
students calling attention across
the country, not specifically here at
Loyola, but across the country saying,
‘We’re unsatisfied. This is not fair. This
is a violation of my rights. These are
problems that we’re having.’”
Krivoshey also said the increase
in reports is reflective of increased
awareness of resources and nationwide discussion on the issue.
“I think there’s the national discussion around campus sexual violence
and around what is happening nationally,” Krivoshey said. “People feel more
empowered to come forward and recognize that we do believe people and
we’re not going to victim-blame and
that we want to provide support.”
Krivoshey said she’s seen an increase in reporting for advocacy services at the Wellness Center, with reports “at least doubling” this year in
comparison to last year.
Landis also credited raised awareness to an increase in guidelines
during the Obama administration
under the 2011 “Dear Colleague”
letter, which set guidelines for handling sexual assault cases in higher

education. Those guidelines have
been rolled back under the current
U.S. secretary of education, Betsy
DeVos, a top aide to President Donald Trump, after she said they failed
to uphold the rights of both accusers
and the accused, particularly denying rights of accused students.
However, studies have shown the
actual number of false reports to be
comparatively low. About 2 to 8 percent of sexual assault cases are false reports, according to a 2009 article from
the National Center for the Prosecution of Violence Against Women.
Loyola reaffirmed its commitment
to upholding the current standards
of Title IX after DeVos’ rollbacks in a
statement earlier this semester.
“Loyola University Chicago has
been and remains committed to
demonstrating care for all students
and responding to gender-based misconduct in a way that honors the dignity and rights of all parties, rooted in
our values of equity, justice, and cura
personalis,” the statement reads.
Landis said it’s clear some cases
haven’t gone well on a national scale,
bringing criticism of Title IX and its
policies from both ends of the spectrum, but everyone she’s met who
works in Title IX departments takes
their jobs seriously.
“Here at Loyola, I’m not going to
pretend that everything’s always perfect, but I really am confident in our
system and the people who do this
job,” Landis said. “I’m really proud to
work here because I think we take this
very seriously, not just from a compliant standpoint. That’s obviously something we need to make sure that we’re
doing. But we come at this really as a
student centered approach.”
The Wellness Center will sponsor a
workshop Nov. 29 5-6:30 p.m. in the
Damen Cinema focused on raising
awareness of relationship abuse.

emissions made elsewhere, according
to The Phoenix.
The fastest way to achieve this
goal is mitigation, direct actions and
changes to infrastructure and policy
that will curb carbon emissions, according to Durnbaugh.
Mitigation is made up of three
goals: direct mitigation — actions that
curb emissions on the campus level —
on-site renewable energy and off-site
renewable energy and offsets.
Direct mitigation is expected to reduce total energy use by 10 percent, according to the Climate Action Plan for
2025 — it encompasses behavior-focused programs, policies and new sustainable infrastructure on campus.
Initiatives for direct mitigation
include this summer’s consolidation of Cudahy Library’s heating
and cooling system to a single water-based unit, more energy-efficient
than the initial electricity-powered
ones, The Phoenix reported.
Jennifer O’Brien, associate director

of housing operations, said Residence
Life partnered with Loyola’s Department of Facilities to install more
sustainable infrastructure in dorms
— construction on Fairfield Hall finished in August, which added updated
plumbing and bathroom fixtures.
The 2025 Climate Action Plan also
mentions sequestering as a more passive way to offset emissions. Sequestering involves planting of trees to counter
emission outputs — with the Loyola
Retreat & Ecology Campus’ 2,399 inventoried trees, 20 to 32 metric tons
of carbon dioxide is canceled out from
Loyola’s total greenhouse gas emissions.
GoSolar, a project started by the
Student Environmental Alliance
(SEA), focuses on solar panels for
on-site renewable energy. A solar developer owns and installs panels of a
fixed cost over buildings such as the
IES over a 25-year period for no cost,
merely a commitment to purchase
power for the term, Durnbaugh said.
With panels already installed over
the IES, the project will likely install
panels over the Halas Recreation
Center or Damen Student Center in
the next semester or so, according to
21-year-old SEA student president
Nick Bergstrom.
Bergstrom, an environmental science
major, said the panels let Loyola sell energy back into the Illinois grid and allow
the school to purchase cheaper offsets.
But becoming totally carbon neutral
by 2025 won’t be carried out just from
on-site renewable energy. Durnbaugh
said it’ll take consideration of purchasing
clean energy or entering into a contract
for sourcing off-site green energy from
wind or solar farms.
“It’s really up to the students to
drive a demand from [the university]
for clean energy,” Durnbaugh said.
“If that means [students] agreeing to
have an extra two bucks added onto
their Student Development fee, then
it could happen.”

Construction has begun on a new
Target store across the street from
Loyola’s Granada Center, with an estimated completion date between fall
2018 and spring 2019.
The development, called the Concord at Sheridan, is a seven-story
mixed use and mixed-income housing and commercial unit that will
also include 111 one and two bedroom apartments, 29,400 square feet
of retail space — including a Target
store — and 136 underground parking spaces to accommodate residents
and shoppers.
The demolition process of the
former parking lot and community
room of the Caroline Hedger Apartments, the senior apartment building
next door, started late October.
In a letter to residents of the surrounding buildings, the construction
company Riteway-Maddison stated
that the Caisson, or deep foundation,
installation and sheet pile driving,
which are expected to cause above average noise levels, will continue until
Dec. 15. Excavation and foundation
work will begin Dec. 11 and will end
in March 2018.
Construction is expected to commence Monday through Saturday
from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., according to
the same letter.
For Loyola senior Dora Bialy, who
lives off campus on Magnolia Avenue
directly behind the construction site,
the noise is a nuisance.
“The building is shaking from the
time construction starts at 8 a.m. to
till about 6 or 7 p.m.,” the 21-yearold creative advertising major said.
“Whatever you do you hear the drilling and pounding.”
Bialy said she and her roomates did
not receive any notice from the contractors or construction crew about
when the construction was to begin
and the noise they should expect until

Sunday, Nov. 12, almost two weeks after construction had started.
“We had anticipated it was going
to start soon but we had no idea how
loud it was going to be and how long
it was going to go on,” Bialy said.
Three Corners Development Inc.
will lead the construction of the new
mixed-use building in a contingent
agreement with the Chicago Housing Authority (CHA), which currently owns the property.
The plan to build the structure
was approved by the Chicago Plan
Commission May 18 in a unanimous
decision. The Chicago City Council
also approved the plans July 26.
Of the 111 units, 65 apartments
will be reserved for Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) residents, who
are low-income families in need of
affordable housing, and the remaining 46 units will be rented out to the
general public.
The main 23,000 square foot retail space will be leased to Target for
the construction of a “flexible-format
store,” a smaller space curated to the
needs of Rogers Park, which currently
lacks outlets that carry clothing and
housewares. Along with traditional
Target merchandise such as style, wellness and grocery items, the store will
include Chicago-inspired apparel and
partnerships with local food brands,
according to Target’s website.
Jennifer Clark, Loyola’s associate
vice president of Campus and Community Planning, said the university
sees the new construction as a positive development.
“It’s a very creative structure that
allows for brand new CHA units on
the North Side, which was of desperate need of affordable housing,” Clark
said. “More bodies on the street will
be better for safety as well as small
businesses and large businesses.”
Alderman Joe Moore, 49th Ward,
said he believes the impact of the new
development will be extremely positive for the Rogers Park community,

especially Loyola students.
“Loyola’s students will have a place
to shop for their household goods, all
the things you can get at an ordinary
Target,” Moore said. “Target will also
be hiring people from the community
and I’d imagine students would be a
part of the mix.”
The project will create 450 construction jobs and 70 to 80 permanent retail jobs and is estimated to
bring in $650,000 per year in sales
and property taxes.
Many Rogers Park businesses
have signed letters of support for the
venue, including boutique ChiTown
Magpie, diner Clarke’s Rogers Park,
restaurant Ethiopian Diamond, cellphone store Metro PCS and comic
store Third Coast Comics.
However, concern over the plan
was raised by a population of senior
residents from the Caroline Hedger
Apartments next door as the new development was in the process of being
approved by the Chicago Plan Commission, as reported by The Phoenix
earlier this year.
In order to make room for the
new building, the Caroline Hedger’s
community room will be demolished.
However, it will be replaced with a
new 5,000 square foot community
room attached to the building and a
private outdoor space for the seniors,
according to Moore’s statement on
the construction.
Moore said he recognizes the temporary inconvenience but said the
developers have been working with
the residents to plan their new community space.
“The vast majority of them are
very happy with the new plans,”
Moore said.
Wendy Cotter of the Jane Addams
Senior Caucus said the Rogers Park
community has proposed an agreement of a store and its developers to
abide by the positive measures that
Moore and Three Corners had previously promised during a community

Molly Kozlowski The PHOENIX

Construction has begun on a new development near Loyola’s Lake Shore
Campus that will have housing and retail space, including a new Target store.

meeting Jan. 30, such as local hiring
and respect for green space.
However, Moore, Three Corners
and the Target corporation have yet
to sign the agreement, despite the
overwhelming support for the contract from the community.
A total of 58 residents of the Caroline Hedger, which houses 436 units,
signed a petition in favor of the new
development and the plans to rebuild
their community space.
Locals have also expressed concern over the increase in traffic on
Sheridan Road that the Target could
potentially create. According to
Moore’s statement on the project, the
Chicago Department of Transportation (CDT) has approved the traffic
plan, which entails adding a new left
hand turn lane for entering the development as well as a straightening
of the southbound lanes, which has
been a source of confusion for motorists in the past.
Clark recognizes the development
will bring more traffic to Sheridan
Road but said she is hopeful that it
will encourage more commuters to
use public transportation.

“From my perspective of transportation alternatives, a negative impact on traffic would be good,” Clark
said. “There are way too many single-occupancy vehicles on Sheridan
Road when people could be using
public transportation or more appropriate roads.”
Adnan Hadzalic, a first-year journalism major, said that while the new
development is exciting, he sees the
potential concern of more vehicle
and foot traffic on Sheridan Road.
“That’s the price you pay for having a big hub like that in the community,” the 18-year-old said.
However, first-year Catherine
Spencer, an international and global
studies major, said since she relies
mostly on public transportation she
can’t wait to have the Target right
down the street.
Currently, the closest Targets are
on West Peterson Avenue and Wilson
Avenue, which are approximately 20
minutes away by public transit.
“Having a Target nearby will be
more convenient than going all the
way to Wilson,” the 19-year-old said.
“It’s going to make life so much easier.”

TITLE IX: Student not informed of option to provide written testimony
continued from page 1
The female student said she felt the
process by which her case was handled was idealized from the beginning.
When she visited the Wellness Center
following the incidents, a social worker
there who deals with sexual assault survivors suggested she file reports with
the Title IX office — which handles
cases involving gender-based violence.
The woman said she felt assured there
would be justice.
“[The Wellness Center] kind of
portrayed [Title IX] as being like the
solution, that it was going to fix all of
my problems, is what I got from my
meetings,” the woman said. “I just felt
like they were not as straightforward as
they could have been about how difficult it is to prove the respondent to be
responsible, at least under our community standards.”
Before moving forward with the
investigation, Jessica Landis, Loyola’s
Title IX deputy coordinator, told the
female student the cases would remain separate and she could pursue
both at the same time, according to
the woman. The woman said she
took this to mean each man wouldn’t
be able to serve as a witness in the
other’s case. Since the men knew
each other, she said she worried they
would work together against her to
discredit her testimony.
Once the reports were filed, the
female student was called in to give a
testimony recounting the events that
occurred with the male students. She
said she was told to describe everything that happened verbally, without
being told that she could submit a
written report instead.
“I think it’s just extremely unrealistic to ask a victim of rape and sexual
assault to verbally recount exactly what

happened. I have legitimate symptoms
of [post-traumatic stress disorder]
from my experiences,” the woman said
in an email to Landis, which was released by the woman to The Phoenix.
“Putting myself back in that situation
is just more painful than my brain can
comprehend and it makes it difficult to
remember the smaller, but still very important details, of what happened.”
At the time when these cases were
filed, Loyola’s policy called for a hearing board process, consisting of an investigation by trained investigators, a
hearing board selection, a hearing and
deliberation, which delivered an outcome that could then be appealed by
either the victim or respondent.
It’s not part of Title IX’s practices to
request accusers submit testimony using other methods such as written testimony, Landis told the woman in an
email obtained by The Phoenix. But
Landis told The Phoenix if someone
requests it, she can arrange information
to be provided in other ways beside the
verbal interview.
Gathering testimony was the job of
the cases’ investigators, who are university employees. They conducted the
interview process for all those involved
in the case, prior to the hearing board,
and drafted a final report for each case.
Once the woman was able to review
her testimony, she discovered the two
accused male students were allowed to
serve as witnesses in each other’s cases,
which the woman said she had understood wouldn’t happen after voicing
those concerns to Landis before the
process began. The female student saw
the same problem when reviewing the
final investigation report, which she
said she saw five days before the hearings were supposed to take place.
“It was really, really horrifying to
read that, and I was really upset,” the fe-

male student said. “I contacted [Landis]
and asked how this had happened, and
she said it was a misunderstanding. She
didn’t really say on whose part, but I got
the sense that it was a misunderstanding on my part.”
Landis also said it’s the investigator’s
responsibility to identify and interview
any witnesses who may have relevant
information about an incident. However, both the accuser and accused are
allowed to review all information gathered and refute any of the information,
including witness statements.
Each party involved also has the opportunity to request additions and clarifications to their testimony — but the
investigators have the final say whether
to include the additional information
or not, according to Landis.
The woman said she felt frustrated some of her additions, called
amendments, weren’t included in
her final testimony.
“I should have more power to add
to my own statement in an effort to get
the best representation of the truth,” the
female student said. “It feels like I was
set up to fail.”
The woman said she closed both
cases before they reached hearing
boards because she felt the problems
with the process made her feel like
she wasn’t able to properly convey her
whole story.
Both investigators involved in the
case declined to comment.
One of the accused men, who spoke
to The Phoenix on the condition that
he remain anonymous, said he felt the
Title IX process was inconvenient and
unfair because he wasn’t notified of the
specific accusations right away.
“I was notified that there was an ‘investigation’ on [a Friday],” the man said
in an email to The Phoenix. “Meaning,
I was not able to get any information on

what it was pertaining to or anyone to
talk to or anything. [The investigators]
also made it seem as if I already knew
what they were talking about.”
The other accused male, who also
requested that he remain anonymous,
said he was initially worried by the accusations because he was also not told
what incident the investigation was
specifically about until after the case
was closed. But he said he thought the
process was fair and the investigators
listened to his side of the story.
“I felt like I was walking into an
ambush,” the man said. “In reality … it
never felt like it was biased at all toward
either side.”
Loyola’s staff and faculty go
through training in order to properly address students’ reports of gender-based misconduct, according to
Mira Krivoshey, Loyola’s assistant director of health promotion.
“We can never guarantee an outcome because no matter what we
may hear from one person, one has to
evaluate all of the evidence before us,”
Krivoshey said. “What we train staff
and faculty to share with students is
that the process will be equitable …
we emphasize that both parties will be
treated with respect and parties will
get equal treatment in terms of the
ability to put forth evidence and respond to allegations.”
Now, the university uses an investigative policy called a grievance process, which changed at the beginning
of this semester after gender-based
misconduct reports rose 109 percent
and created a lack of resources in the
last year, according to Landis. The new
policy uses one investigator to gather
all information about a case, and that
investigator will come to a conclusion
without a hearing board, which minimizes the amount of people who know

about the confidential information of
a case. Once a decision is made, both
parties involved can appeal and then a
hearing would take place.
“Considering feedback from students, the staff members involved in the
resolution of cases, and changes in the
availability of many of our volunteers
during this time of increased reporting, the Office of the Dean of Students
submitted a proposal to transition to a
new resolution model,” Landis said in
an email.
Landis responded to the female
student’s concerns after she’d shared
them in an email to Landis, according
to records obtained by The Phoenix.
Landis stated that she wanted to be able
to share the woman’s feedback with the
correct individuals and possibly address these problems in future staff and
faculty training.
“I appreciate your suggestion regarding written statements. If there
were other specific aspects of the interview that were challenging or could be
improved, please don’t hesitate to share
this feedback,” Landis wrote. “I want
to be sure that I fully understand your
concerns so that they can be addressed
moving forward.”
The woman said Landis informed
her that she could reopen the case at
any time and it would resume where it
left off, with the testimonies remaining
the same.
While the woman said she’s
changed her routine to avoid seeing
the men, sees a therapist regularly and
avoids certain areas of campus, she isn’t
planning on reopening the cases or
pursuing them criminally.
If you or someone you know has
been affected by gender-based violence, call 800-656-4673 to reach the
Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network’s 24-hour helpline.

THE PHOENIX
EDITORIAL BOARD
It’s become common in media
to see students on college campuses
protesting, and Loyola is no
exception — students here have
protested controversial speakers,
walked out of class to show solidarity
with undocumented immigrants and
rallied for dining hall workers’ rights.
While students disseminate their
views on a large scale, less is said
about the day-to-day dissemination
of views by professors across the Lake
Shore and Water Tower campuses.
It’s not breaking news to say that
college professors get political and
that many lean left. A 2007 Harvard
University study called “The Social and
Political Views of American Professors”
found that 46 percent of professors
surveyed identified as moderates, but
most leaned more liberal.
This liberalism can become
controversial. Education Secretary
Betsy DeVos, a staunch conservative,
decried professors telling students
what to believe in a February speech.
“The faculty, from adjunct
professors to deans, tell you what
to do, what to say, and more
ominously, what to think,” DeVos
said. “They say that if you voted
for Donald Trump, you’re a threat
to the university community. But
the real threat is silencing the First
Amendment rights of people with
whom you disagree.”
Last fall, The Phoenix reported
on a history class offered during the
spring 2017 semester about slavery —
into which professor John Donoghue
had also managed to incorporate
President Donald Trump.
“Donald Trump is not the main
feature of the course,” Donoghue

Julie Whitehair

Michen Dewey Michael McDevitt

Henry Redman

Luke Hyland

Photo courtesy of Natalie Battaglia

Gabriela Valencia

Loyola University Chicago

Students at Loyola’s Stritch School of Medicine speak with one another in the school’s atrium Sept. 19, 2016. If healthy
discussion of differing opinions are fostered in classrooms, students will have the tools to better communicate.

said at the time. “But, not to mention
Donald Trump’s name in a course on
slavery and race in 2017 would be
me ignoring the relevance … in our
own times.”
This editorial board has had its
fair share of professors at Loyola
who’ve shown no qualms about
voicing their distastes for Trump.
And Donoghue is partially right
— his course shouldn’t ignore the
reality of Trump, especially after
Trump refused to immediately
denounce white supremacists and
neo-Nazis when they marched on
Charlottesville, Virginia in August.

Photo courtesy of Katie Wall Loyola University Chicago

As part of a campus-wide event, Loyola students, faculty and staff wrote to
their senators and local representatives to support the Dream Act Oct. 11-13.

Loyola University Chicago

Professors should be free to share
their opinions as long as they don’t
ostracize students or other members
of the conversation who don’t agree
with them.
What should be the protocol,
then, when a student just doesn’t
see eye-to-eye with their professor?
Or when a professor wants to share
their conservative beliefs?
Even as schools across the
nation continue to embrace a “safe
space” mentality, meaning there are
spaces on campus free from extreme
viewpoints that could be seen as
triggering for certain students,
college still is, and always will be, a
place for the free expression of ideas,
an intermingling of viewpoints and a
chance for discussion.
The University of Chicago
controversially denounced safe
spaces at the beginning of its 201617 academic year, students at
DePaul University protested May
24, 2016 — and subsequently drove
out — contentious former Breitbart
contributor Milo Yiannopoulos
when he was booked to speak, and
in 2006, conservative commentator
Ann Coulter walked out during a
talk she gave on Loyola’s campus
following
extensive
student
demonstrations and heckling.
Loyola students have often shown
solidarity with marginalized peers

when it comes to issues including
undocumented immigrants, the
fight for a higher minimum wage,
race relations with police officers
and LGBT rights.
What should happen, then, when
a student raises their hand in class
and voices an unpopular opinion on
Loyola’s campus, such as agreement
with Trump’s policies?
If Loyola students truly believe
in solidarity with their peers, it’s
important to recognize their opinion
and engage with them even if the
majority disagrees.
Students are still shaping their

viewpoints. Even at the college
level, we’re all still learning. Instead
of shooting down opposing views,
it’s the job of professors to teach
students to make sure they’re
arguing those views in a sound and
reasonable way, and calling them out
if their opinions are baseless.
In this way, professors aren’t
discouraging viewpoints, but rather
making sure students with views on
hot button issues are equipped with
the mindset they need to back up
that opinion with facts.
And if, in the search of those
facts, those students discover that
maybe they were wrong and adjust
their views, the professor has done
something extraordinary.
We’re by no means excusing
hateful viewpoints. Such views are still
prevalent today, and they shouldn’t be
tolerated. There’s a difference between
that and say, tax policy.
In this era of extreme divisiveness
in the political world, college
students can be countercultural.
Progressive thought and respect
for all viewpoints aren’t mutually
exclusive. Colleges can still be the
front lines for social justice revolutions
while also remaining conscious of the
fact that openness to a dialogue when
disagreements arise is the exact tenet
that allows campuses to lead the nation
in social movements.
Students who want to partake
in these kinds of discussions can
enroll in classes taught by professors
who’ve been known to speak openly
about their sociocultural identities
or political views with students or
join extracurriculars that foster
open discussion spaces regardless of
student background.
As one example, Loyola will begin
offering a UNIV 102 course this
spring called “You and Your Write
Mind,” designed and lead by alumni
Janay Moore and Mohammedi Khan.
This class will serve as a “place where
it is safe to speak,” regardless of one’s
identity, Moore said, through creative
writing and open dialogue. Students
liberal, conservative or otherwise
are welcome to share their stories
respectfully in this inclusive space.
Students can follow Moore and
Khan in creating these spaces for
themselves where they see there
are few, inviting others of different
viewpoints and starting a respectful
dialogue with one another. Perhaps
even the professors will join in.

NOVEMBER 15, 2017

OPINION 7

Hollywood’s ‘disposal’ of women requires consideration

Sasha Vassilyeva
avassilyeva@luc.edu
When the new season of “Kevin
Can Wait” premiered in September,
fans saw a major, and rather sudden,
change — Donna, the lead female
character portrayed by Erinn
Hayes, was killed off the show. This
surprising departure left many fans
questioning the network’s decision
to write off a main character after
only one season, and they received
a questionable answer.
While Hayes’ character was written
out of the show, Leah Remini, who
used to star opposite James in “The
King of Queens,” was cast as a series
regular after guest starring in the
first season. At a Television Critics
Association panel this summer,
Kelly Kahl, CBS Entertainment
president, told reporters the reason
Remini was kept on the show while
Hayes was let go was because Remini
and James had more chemistry.
“When everybody collectively saw
how Leah and Kevin were together
in those last couple episodes, there
was an undeniable spark there,” Kahl
said. “Kevin, the studios and the
network all got together and wanted
to keep that magic and chemistry
going forward.”
For years, Hollywood has made
actresses look disposable when it
came to making cast changes in
television series, and Hayes isn’t
the first actress that has been fired
for so-called “chemistry” issues
or without a valid explanation.
In 2002, Kim Delaney was fired
from “CSI: Miami” because there
“wasn’t enough dramatic chemistry
between Delaney and star David

Caruso and the rest of her costars,”
according
to
Entertainment
Weekly. And this year, Paula
Malcomson was let go from her role
as Abby Donovan on Showtime’s
hit show, “Ray Donovan,” with no
real explanation other than the
show had to get more interesting.
These are just a few examples
of times women have been let go
from their roles for seemingly
invalid reasons. Contrarily, when
male actors are fired the reasons
for termination are very clear and
sometimes rather extreme, and
there aren’t any blurred lines as to
whether or not they should have
been fired.
For example, in 2011, Warner
Bros. Studio fired Charlie Sheen
from “Two and a Half Men”
after he refused requests made
by the studio and CBS to enter
rehabilitation for drug abuse,
according to “The Guardian.” In
2007, Isaiah Washington was fired
from ABC drama “Grey’s Anatomy”
for making homophobic comments
about his co-star. And about two
weeks ago, Kevin Spacey was fired
from “House of Cards” when
multiple accusations of sexual
assault were made against him.
There’s no doubt these men
got what they had coming —
each did something horrible and
unacceptable. But why the women?

Photo courtesy of Gage Skidmore

Erinn Hayes speaks to press and fans at the 2011 San Diego Comic-Con International in San Diego, California July 22, 2011.

Because of bad chemistry or to
enhance the plot? Through many
years of television, actresses have
been written off shows that are
centered around male characters,
and the reasons women are fired
from their roles make talented
actresses seem expendable, revealing
a male-centric culture in Hollywood.
Similarly, shows named after
their male leads expand this malecentric culture further allowing
female actors to be removed when
something goes wrong. If a show
is named after its lead male figure,
removing him from the show
couldn’t possibly be an option,
right? Such was the case of “Ray
Donovan” — when chemistry

between male and female lead,
Ray and Abby, became flat, it was
obvious they would cut Abby to
keep the show’s namesake.
Yet, when a show is named after
a woman, that doesn’t necessarily
stop producers from replacing
the lead actress. The 1980s sitcom
“Valerie” was renamed to “The
Hogan Family” after its female lead,
Valerie Harper, was axed from the
show after a salary dispute. Clearly,
the name of a show doesn’t always
take priority.
Currently, there are many female
led shows including “Orange is the
New Black,” “Big Little Lies” and
“The Handmaid’s Tale,” and it’s more
than accurate to say Hollywood

Photo courtesy of Matthew Straubmuller

Charlie Sheen, wearing a “DUH WINNING” t-shirt, speaks at the DAR concert hall in Washington, D.C. while on tour April 19, 2011.

has become much more inclusive
in terms of casting women. Yet,
despite the gradually more equal
employment of male and female
actors, television networks continue
to more readily replace a woman
when they become dissatisfied
with the work of the actors than
they would a man. While having
chemistry on set is important, it
takes two — so why the readiness
to replace one actor — a woman —
over another? When the show needs
to become more interesting, why
is the killing of a woman seen as a
common ploy?
An issue such as a lack of
chemistry between actors can be
resolved by teaching actors and
working through their differences
when playing a role. When
choosing a character to write out
of a show for the purposes of plot
enhancement, writers and directors
should remember to consider all
possibilities before just committing
to killing off a T.V. mom and
reassess female characters’ values
in the grander artistic scheme.
Keeping in mind the idea of
equal opportunity employment
and hiring actors of any sex,
race, religion, etc. isn’t enough —
television networks and producers
need to consider the importance of
equal termination as well.

Photo

PAGE 8

Grocers gear up

HANAKO MAKI
hmaki@luc.edu

Mary Grace Ritter

The PHOENIX

Thanksgiving is traditionally celebrated by gathering families, friends and loved ones together for a feast. Approximately 46 million turkeys will be eaten on Thanksgiving, according to the National Turkey Federation. The Phoenix looked
into the expenses for hosting such a feast through some of
Loyolaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s closest grocery stores.
Whole Foods Market (6009 N. Broadway St.), Aldi (6221 N.
Broadway St.) and Devon Market (1440 W. Devon Ave.) are three
grocery stores commonly used by Loyola students.
The week before Thanksgiving, Aldi stores, a grocery chain
known for its lower prices, will feature a special price for
turkeys. They will be $1.19 per pound with an average turkey
size of 13 pounds, according to Aldiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s website.
Aldi declined to comment.
The cost of turkeys at Devon Market is similar, ranging
between 99 cents per pound and $1.49 per pound. Caitlin
Webster, the 23-year-old service desk manager at Devon

Briefs

PAGE 9

for Thanksgiving

Market, said she buys all of the ingredients she needs to cook
her Thanksgiving meal from scratch at the independent grocery store. Webster spends about $60 on her Thanksgiving
spread for her and her three roommates.
“We try to price things at a reasonable price that we know
our customers will be able to afford and will be willing to
spend that kind of money on,” Webster said.
Devon Market serves the Rogers Park community and a
community of Eastern Europeans who come from as far west
as O’Hare to shop for cheese and meat items not commonly
sold elsewhere, according to Webster.
Whole Foods Market is known for its natural and organic
products, which often come with a higher price tag. Turkeys
at Whole Foods Market cost between $2.69 per pound and
$6.99 per pound. The grocery chain also has an online food
delivery service, which offers fresh turkeys and meal sets
ranging from $39.99 to $249.99.
Whole Foods Market representatives were unavailable
for comment.

SEE LOYOLAPHOENIX.COM
FOR THE FULL STORY

A&E

PAGE 10

NOVEMBER 15, 2017

Courtesy of E2M Productions

“Escape to Margaritaville” is a new musical featuring the songs of beloved island-rocker Jimmy Buffet. The hilarious and romantic musical embodies everything about Buffett’s music, from the emotion to the fun.

Jimmy Buffett musical opens in Chicago
EMILY ROSCA
erosca@luc.edu

After two years of workshops and
script readings, “Escape to Margaritaville” premiered at Chicago’s Oriental
Theatre Nov. 9. The musical features
Jimmy Buffett’s songs, including his
most popular hits “Cheeseburger in
Paradise” and “Come Monday,” as well
as new songs written for the production.
The Phoenix spoke with the cast
and crew about their experiences with
the production. Mike O’Malley, co-author of the book “Escape to Margaritaville,” spoke about his inspiration
behind writing the book, which laid the
groundwork for the musical.
“In a world that seems often senseless, we are trying to find things that
make sense,” O’Malley said. “I wanted
to write a story that could take people
on a journey.”
Rema Webb stars as Marley, who is

the proprietor of the Margaritaville Hotel and Bar and mother figure for Tully.
Webb spoke highly of Buffett’s songs
and lyrics.
“[Buffett] talks about his daily life
and how he’s really feeling, like a country singer,” Webb said. “His tunes are
catchy, but if you really listen to the
words, they’re really deep and wonderful and beautiful.”
The comedic and romantic musical
takes place in the warm and tropical
Margaritaville, an island in the Caribbean. City folk come to have fun in the
Caribbean sunshine, away from the
stresses of everyday life, and the locals
take part in shenanigans that they can
later sweet talk their way out of.
The Chicago production of “Escape
to Margaritaville” is directed by Tony
Award winner Christopher Ashley and
choreographed by Tony Award nominee Kelly Devine. The production features three love stories, with the main
focus being on Tully (Paul Alexander
Nolan) and Rachel (Alison Luff). The
secondary love stories are between
characters Tammy (Lisa Howard) and
Brick (Eric Peterson) and Marley and
J.D. (Don Sparks).
Tully is a bartender and singer who
charms female tourists as they vacation on the island, and Rachel is an intelligent, career-driven tourist. When
their worlds collide, Tully is forced to
question his past and future as their
love becomes as intoxicating as the hotel bar’s margaritas.
Tammy and Rachel are best friends
who embark on a vacation to Margaritaville as an engagement present for
Tammy. Upon arriving to the tropical
island, the pair meet Tully and Brick,
commencing the fun and mischief.
Sparks stars as J.D., a Vietnam War
veteran who comes to Margaritaville

in search of joy and peace. Sparks was
a cast member in the La Jolla, California production of “Escape to Margaritaville” earlier this year, and said he
enjoyed his time spent working on the
musical and has come to strongly support the show.
“If the problem in the world is that
there is not enough lightness and celebration right now, this is the solution,”
Sparks said. “Jimmy Buffett’s music and
spirit really is about celebrating nature,
and the present and the now and joy.
People are escaping to Margaritaville
for two hours, and I’m so grateful to be
part of something that’s like that.”
“Escape to Margaritaville,” the slogan reads, is “more than a musical. It’s
a way of life.” The production allows
audience members as well as the cast to
escape reality for the show’s two-hour
run time.
“Trying to stay serious when rehearsing [is challenging] because we
were all having so much fun,” Peterson
said. “That’s the truth. The music is so
fun and the vibe of the show is all about
laughter, joy and being silly, and that
definitely bleeds into the rehearsal.”
Luff said she didn’t connect with
her character at first. It took a few readings and rehearsals before she began to
identify with Rachel, who is an environmental scientist with two degrees from
Harvard and Stanford universities. Nolan, on the other hand, rediscovered
attributes about himself through his
portrayal of Tully.
“I feel like the show chose me,”
Nolan said. “I often don’t feel like I’ve
been cast right, but I think I’m probably
wrong; I guess I’m not very good at casting myself. This is a really healthy role
for me to be playing right now, and I’m
remembering a part of my skill set [like
guitar playing] that I have forgotten.”

Courtesy of E2M Productions

Don Sparks (left) and Rema Webb (right) play romantic interests in the musical.

Jimmy Buffett’s “island escapism”
music sets the tone for the production.
The musical portrays the easygoing, relaxing beach life, and in order to prepare for rehearsals, the actors had to
embody Buffett’s carefree spirit.
“I drove on Route 66, by myself,
when I started rehearsals in March,”
Sparks said. “I took a solo adventure,
and I listened to Jimmy Buffett songs
because I didn’t know a lot of them.
That was all the preparation I needed
to get into that mood of adventure,
and that got me into the right space.”
In preparation for the show, Nolan, Buffett and the production team
flew down to Islamorada in the Florida Keys to perform an hour-long
concert of Buffett’s music at the Green
Turtle Inn, a seafood restaurant. Nolan spoke about his process of getting
into character, which included spending a lot of time with his guitar and
going to the gym.
“Your life prepares you for a role,”

Nolan said. “I always feel like I got cast
in things when it was the perfect moment for me to be cast; either psychologically or personally.”
The cast’s performance, in combination with Buffett’s Caribbean rock
‘n’ roll music and lyrics, will leave audiences dreaming and planning their
next tropical getaway.
“I think if you’ve never heard a Jimmy Buffett song ever, you would come
to see the show and all the songs and
the stories would make sense,” O’Malley said. “It would be more rewarding
[than knowing Buffett’s songs] because
you won’t be thinking about those
songs, you’ll be watching the show.”
“Escape to Margaritaville” will play
at the Oriental Theatre (24 W. Randolph St.) through Dec. 2. Tickets can
be purchased at Broadway in Chicago
box offices by calling 800-775-2000
and online at www.broadwayinchicago.
com/show/escape-to-margaritaville/.
Ticket prices range from $32 to $127.

If you’ve ever seen a concert at
the Riviera Theatre (4746 N. Racine
Ave.) or the Chicago Theatre (175
N. State St.), you’ve gotten a taste of
the grandeur of Chicago’s early 20th
century architecture.
Rogers Park alone used to have at
least three theaters like these. Of those
three, the closest to Loyola was the
iconic Granada Theatre, located where
the Campus Safety office now stands on
North Sheridan Road.
The Granada was designed by Edward E. Eichenbaum and built in 1926,
according to a 1989 Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS). It was
one of the three largest “silver screen
palaces” in Chicago, alongside the
Chicago Theatre and the now-vacant
Uptown Theatre (4816 N. Broadway
Ave.). During its lifespan, the Granada
hosted live theater, movies, midnight
showings of the “Rocky Horror Picture
Show” and occasional rock concerts. It
was a place Rogers Park high schoolers
went on dates, middle schoolers snuck
into and stars including Jerry Lewis,
Jack Nicholson and The Three Stooges
visited for movie premieres.
Abandoned in 1987 and damaged
by weather and vandals from 1988-89,
the Granada deteriorated into ruins and
was demolished in early 1990, accoring
to HABS. It was replaced just over a
year later with the $24.5 million, 75,000
square foot Granada Center, which occupies the 6400 block of North Sheridan Road and now houses the university bookstore, Caffe ArrivaDolce, Felice’s
Kitchen and other businesses.
Nearly 27 years after the Granada
Theatre’s demolition, some Loyola students are unaware of the landmark that
once stood proudly on the northwestern edge of the Lake Shore Campus.
Current and former residents of
Rogers Park remember the Granada fondly to this day. Some spoke to
The Phoenix about their memories
of the theater.
“It was a palace,” Norm Levin, a former usher at the Granada, said. “It was
just gorgeous. There were these little
[sofas] you could sit on that were red

Courtesy of Thomas Yanul

The abandoned interior of the Granada
Theatre as it looked in the fall of 1989.

velvet, and there were gold ropes hanging everywhere … It was like walking
into a castle. You’d think you were in
some fancy movie yourself.”
Levin, 63, grew up at Albion and
Lakewood avenues, blocks away from
Bellarmine Hall on the north end of the
Lake Shore Campus. He was an usher
at the Granada from 1967-68, when he
was 16 years old.
“It was kind of cool, because you
could see free movies and there wasn’t
much to do,” Levin said. “I had to go
backstage to [lift] the curtain [before
movies started] … and basically stood
at the back of the theater, maybe with a
flashlight, and helped people out.”
James Alessio, 72, is a Loyola Class
of 1969 alumnus and now lives in
Midlothian, Virginia. He grew up in
Edgewater and worked as an usher at
the Granada as a teenager in the early
‘60s, earning 75 cents an hour.
“You had to do a whole mess of
things, but the primary thing was to
walk up and down the aisles and make
sure there wasn’t any trouble,” Alessio
said. “You didn’t do [the job] for too
long because eventually you went off
to college and did something else, but
it was interesting.”
Alessio said his duties as an usher
included monitoring the 3,442-seat
auditorium during films, checking for
mice in large bags of pre-popped popcorn and making sure his shoes were
always polished before his shift.
“[The ushers] had to wear these uniforms that were kind of stuffy,” he said.
“It was a red jacket with black trousers,
and stiff paper collars that were very uncomfortable at times … We had to go
through an inspection that made sure
we all looked really spiffy.”
Looking “spiffy” was important in
a place like the Granada. According to
Alessio, Levin and the HABS, the theater was a sight to behold in its heyday
with its pink Tennessee marble floors,
cast iron railings, grand staircases, silk
curtains and crystal chandeliers. It was
built with an advanced heating and
cooling system and a dazzling 93-foot
marquis, which was eventually downsized in 1940. While vandals managed
to destroy or steal a lot of the theater’s
ornamentation during its last years,
some was saved — for instance, one
of the Granada’s huge chandeliers now
hangs in the Riviera Theatre.
Scott Greig, 43, was raised in Evanston and remembers admiring the terracotta facade of the empty Granada as
a child.
“I remember this beautiful edifice that for some reason was always
closed, and I couldn’t understand
why,” he said. “I would actually ask my
parents if we were [driving on North
Sheridan] going to the Outer Drive,
‘Could we go by the Granada?’ It was
just so beautiful to see.”
As a high school student, Greig
witnessed the decay and the eventual
demolition of the Granada firsthand.
He tried to document the theater in
its last years, photographing the deteriorating interior — complete with
stripped marble floors and shattered

Courtesy of Thomas Yanul

The Granada Theatre (pictured) was abandoned two years before this picture was taken, which was in the fall of 1989.

mirrors — as best he could. Seeing the
theater in such a state of disrepair was
disheartening for him.
Greig said he was there on the
snowy day the demolition began in
December 1989, and said he would
take the Red Line from school to
Loyola and snap pictures as the crew
from B&M Wrecking slowly tore down
the landmark.
“There was a small crowd of onlookers, people from the neighborhood
and fellow theater fans documenting
things [on the first day of demolition],”
Greig said. “I just had this real sense of
sadness that this beautiful thing was
being lost.”
Alessio said while he and his wife
were already living in Virginia when
the Granada came down, they were
both saddened by its demolition since
it’s where they began their romance.
“We saw each other on the bus [on
the way to school] but never had any
discussion or contact,” Alessio said. “I
saw her one time at the theater while
I was ushering, and we made eye
contact … One thing led to another
and we started to date. We were high
school sweethearts, and the Granada
was kind of our intersection. We had
a connection there.”
Levin didn’t see the demolition first
hand, either, but it still affected him.

“It amazes me that people let these
things go,” he said. “Somebody met
somebody’s price. Imagine if it was
still there — Loyola could’ve used it.”
The fact that the Granada was a
significant building wasn’t lost on
the Loyola community. According to
documents obtained from the Loyola
University Archives, The Phoenix ran
a front-page story when the Granada
was officially slated for demolition in its
Oct. 11, 1989 issue. The issue included
a two-page spread in its “Intermission”
section (now Arts & Entertainment)
documenting the dilapidated interior
of the Granada.
The Phoenix also covered the constant buying and selling of the property
in the late ‘80s and offered occasional
commentary on the situation. A staff
editorial published in the Nov. 1, 1989
issue called the theater an “eyesore” and
ensured readers that “modernization”
was necessary.
“Although at one time that strip of
Sheridan Road was, indeed, beautiful,
perhaps the time has come to save not
the Granada but to save the neighborhood,” the editorial read.
On Loyola’s website, the description of Fordham Hall briefly mentions that it stands on the site of the
Granada, “a once-majestic movie palace.” Some think the theater deserves

more recognition.
“I remember seeing [the Granada Center] being built and … feeling
that reusing the name ‘Granada’ on
this thing that had destroyed such a
beautiful theater seemed like such an
insult,” Greig said. “I’ve gone past it
many times by car and whatnot and I
just block it out of my mind. I would
rather hang onto my memory of what
had been there previously.”
While the days of movie palaces
are over, there are some lasting reminders of the magnificent treasures
that have been lost. Levin encourages young people to learn about their
neighborhoods’ history and remember the past fondly, even if it might be
painful at times.
“You can’t go back, as they say,”
Levin said. “Forty years from now,
are people going to feel about the
Chipotles and the Starbucks the
way we felt about the Granada? I’m
not so sure.”
For those interested in seeing a
theater like the Granada, there are
a few survivors. The Riviera, the
Chicago Theatre, the Portage Theater (4050 N. Milwaukee Ave.) and
the Davis Theatre (4614 N. Lincoln
Ave.) are all still in operation, some
as movie theaters and others as concert halls.

After emerging from a self-enforced exile from the public eye after
“she felt like her personal life was spinning out of control,” Taylor Swift’s new
album, “Reputation,” was released Nov.
10, marking the return of one of pop
music’s biggest stars.
As she has in the past, Swift presents
us with a selection of funky electronic
pop beats that mend shockingly well
with her catchy and ear-pleasing lyrics.
Swift’s lyrics are, as always, well written
and a high point of the album. Even the
title of the album, “Reputation,” is a hint
that listeners are about to hear a defense
of the pop star’s new style. She’s been a
source of divide among pop fans since

arriving in the pop music scene and this
album is Swift’s response to how she has
been treated by the media and music
fans in the past few years with notable examples including the “Famous”
controversy with Kanye West and Kim
Kardashian, the criticism of her love
life and even the recent Calvin Harris
ghostwriting scandal.
The album begins a whole new
chapter of the artist’s career, beyond
the days of songs such as “Love Story.”
Instead, fans are given a look into the
new Swift. Swift, as she has in the past,
limited the number of famous collaborators that appear on “Reputation”
— only her close friend Ed Sheeran
and rapper Future appear together on
a four minute hip-hop flavored party
anthem, “End Game,” which hits all

the right notes.
Swift is trying hard to show fans
she’s not the squeaky clean pop star she
used to be. “I Did Something Bad” is
an obvious symbol of this. Swift sings,
“I can feel the flames on my skin/
Crimson red paint on my lips/If a man
talks s—, then I owe him nothing/I
don’t regret it one bit, ‘cause he had
it coming.” Swift is no longer the girl
next door, but it’s still difficult to buy
into the “darker” version of her that’s
presented on the album. The album’s
length is unfortunately damaging to
“Reputation’s” overall impact. The
high-hat and snare drum electronic
beats blend together by the time you
reach the meat of the album. “King of
My Heart” is a redeemable track, but
gets somewhat lost in the white noise

of the last half hour of the album.
Swift’s writing is still a high point
of “Reputation” but overall lacks soul.
The songs sound manufactured rather than organic. “Reputation” isn’t a
bad album — it’s a solid piece of work
from a talented artist — but like Miley
Cyrus’ post-Disney “wild child” phase,
the whole album felt forced. The blatant attempts to appeal to Swift’s target
demographic reek of focus groupbased production. After about the
third song, listeners may want to tell
Swift to stop shoving her new persona
down their throats. The album is good,
as long as listeners know what they’re
listening to.
“Reputation” is currently available on iTunes for purchase and is
expected to be available for stream-

Courtesy of GabboT

Taylor Swift (pictured) performs in Detroit.

ing in the near future, but it’ll be kept
off streaming services for at least the
first week of release, according to
Swift’s representatives.

12 A&E

NOVEMBER 15. 2017

EPK.TV

The cinematography of Netflix’s new original film, “Mudbound,” is one of its most impressive features. The film revolves around two young men of different races who develop an unlikely, contested friendship.

Netflix’s latest original film,
“Mudbound,” is an ambitious, layered exploration of race in America. Although set in the 1940s,
the film feels so modern it almost
begs to be interpreted as a metaphor for today.
Director Dee Rees’ (“Pariah,”
“Bessie”) adaptation of Hillary Jordan’s book of the same name, “Mudbound” tells the story of two families — the McAllans, a white family,
and the Jacksons, a black family
— whose lives are intertwined on a
rural Mississippi farm. Two of these
family members, Jamie McAllan
(Garrett Hedlund) and Ronsel Jackson (Jason Mitchell), return home
from serving in World War II to
their respective families who share
the same land.
Jamie’s brother, Henry (Jason
Clarke), and his wife, Laura (Carey
Mulligan), run the family farm, and
Ronsel’s father, Hap (Rob Morgan),

and mother, Florence (Mary J. Blige),
work as sharecroppers on the same
property. A delicate peace is disturbed when Henry and Jamie’s racist father, Pappy (Johnathan Banks),
notices Jamie and Ronsel developing
a friendship. What follows is a tragic,
nuanced story of race, destiny, poverty and love.
From a technical perspective,
“Mudbound” is a gorgeously shot
and powerfully acted piece of film.
Cinematographer Rachel Morrison’s visuals are grimy and visceral,
perfectly reflecting the desperation
of the film’s characters. The script,
written by Rees and Virgil Williams, is impressive in scope, and
Rees’ direction is tight despite minor pacing issues early in the film.
Her camera has no agenda except to
show the lives of the film’s characters. While “Mudbound” clearly has
a message, it’s understated because
of Rees’ directorial decisions. She
lets the script do much of the heavy
thematic lifting and simply transcribes its events on screen for her

Eminem, whose real name is Marshall Mathers, has, without a doubt,
left his mark on hip-hop culture
throughout his nearly 30-year-long
career as a rapper. He’s somehow
managed to remain relevant despite
the shifting tides in music, making
his latest comeback with a series
of newly released singles, including “Walk on Water,” released Nov.
10, as well as his powerful freestyle
slamming President Donald Trump,
which aired during this year’s BET
Hip-Hop Awards.
“Walk on Water” is definitely a
stylistic change from the rapper’s
typically intense, bitter sound. The
chorus, sung by 20-time Grammy
winner Beyoncé, attempts to connect
with the audience. Lyrics such as, “I
walk on water, but I ain’t Jesus. I walk
on water, but only when it freezes,”
emphasize the fact that everyone has
insecurities (No, Queen B isn’t perfect). This message is powerful when
coming from two of the music industry’s most idolized artists.
Longtime Eminem fans know the
rapper’s road to fame was anything
but easy. After his
initial debut with
the track “My
Name Is” in 1999,
he was on the
rise. However, he
did run into some
obstacles early in
his career as he
struggled
with
Eminem
a
prescription
drug addiction
around 2005. It wasn’t until a near fatal Methadone overdose in 2008 that
he attended rehab, and in 2009 that
he pronounced himself sober. He alludes to his battle with drugs in his

new song with lyrics such as, “That’s
a hard Vicodin to swallow,” and “Am
I lucky to be around this long? Begs
the question though especially after
the Methadone.”
Eminem appears to be testing a
new style of rap with his single. His
choppy delivery is receiving both acclaim and criticism from those fond
of the new sound, and those yearning to hear more from the “Real Slim
Shady.”
From the tone of “Walk on Water,” it seems Eminem is considering
stepping away from music, claiming,
“The crowds are gone and it’s time to
wash out the blonde. Sales decline,
the curtain’s drawn.” But the song
ends with a four second sample from
Busta Rhymes’ 2014 single “Calm
Down” featuring Eminem, in which
he quips, “As long as I got a mic,
I’m godlike, so me and you are not
alike. B­—, I wrote ‘Stan.’” Eminem’s
remarkably moving track “Stan”
from his Marshall Mathers LP (2000)
album is thought by some to be his
best work and considered by Rolling
Stone Magazine to be one of the 500
best songs of all time.
Eminem acknowledges his prime
is now long behind him, and he can
never hope to reach those levels of
fame again. He says in the song, “And
as I grow outta sight, outta mind, I
might go outta mine/But when I do
fall from these heights though, I’ll be
fine/But I’ll decide if it’s my final bow
this time around.”
While the bleach-blonde-haired
rapper isn’t as big as he used to be,
he goes down in hip-hop history as
one of the best, and has once again
proven his talent with “Walk on Water.” Eminem fans currently await his
latest album, “Revival,” set for release
Nov. 17.
“Walk on Water” is now available
on iTunes and Spotify.

audience to interpret. Like a good
author, Rees’ focus is on her characters and their plights and struggles
— not beating her audience over
the head with an overstated, melodramatic “message movie.”
Novelistic in its pacing and character development, “Mudbound” is
reminiscent of John Steinbeck’s “East
of Eden” in its focus on the rural
working class and the choices that
affect people’s lives. The film takes its
time to introduce its characters and
allows viewers to see through each
of their viewpoints — which breeds
compassion. Poverty binds the families together — despite the McAllans being slightly better off than
the Jacksons — and is at the heart of
what makes “Mudbound” resonate
long after the film’s last image fades.
One shot near the end of the film
can summarize its message. Jamie
and Ronsel are knelt facing one another in a barn at night, their knees
sunken into the thick mud beneath
them. They stare into each other’s
eyes, faces caked with sweat and

EPK.TV

The film “Mudbound” tells the story of Ronsel Jackson (Jason Mitchell), left, and
Jamie McAllan (Garrett Hedlund) becoming friends despite their family’s feuds.

grime. The shot lasts for about five
seconds, and yet the entire story is
retold in that moment. Both men are
bound by their circumstances, and
they can only choose whether or not
to love and aid each other.
“Mudbound” is a sprawling epic
that tackles race in America today
by looking through the lens of the
past. In a time so focused on people’s

therapist
professor

differences, the film shows audiences what people have had in common
for centuries — not the superficial
sharing of interests, but rather the
deeply rooted fight to provide one’s
children with a better life and scrape
one’s way out of the mud.
“Mudbound” will open in theaters nationwide and will be available to stream on Netflix Nov. 17.

Dr. Van Dyke sees human suffering
and healing through the lens of
relationships. Our faculty develop the
whole person to foster new possibilities
for personal, professional, and relational
growth. Train with visionaries in the field
to pursue one of the fastest growing
careers through the M.A. In Marriage
& Family Therapy.
The Marriage and Family Therapy program
at Wheaton College is accredited by the
Commission on Accreditation for Marriage
and Family Therapy Education (COAMFTE), 112
South Alfred Street, Alexandria, Virginia 22314,
703.838.9808, coa@aamft.org

wheaton.edu/MFT

A&E

NOVEMBER 15, 2017

13

Branagh’s ‘Murder on the Orient Express’ loses steam on its way to success
OLIVIA MCCLURE
email@luc.edu

Director and actor Kenneth
Branagh’s (“Henry V,” “Much Ado
About Nothing”) latest film, “Murder
on the Orient Express,” relies mostly
on celebrity star power and tenuous
buildup to keep its adaptation of novelist Agatha Christie’s famous murder
mystery rolling.
While the film doesn’t completely
derail as it tediously unfolds, it lacks
the energy and excitement that constitutes a tale of murder and revenge.
Although its star-studded cast fails to
save the film from its overall lifelessness, the acting is strong enough to
warrant the cast some recognition.
“Murder on the Orient Express”
begins with Branagh’s excellent
portrayal of the famous fictional detective, Hercule Poirot, as he
solves a baffling mystery in Jerusalem. Bearing Poirot’s trademark
handlebar mustache, Branagh does
justice to the character’s peculiar,
perfectionist personality, evoking
David Suchet’s portrayal of the detective in the British TV series “Agatha Christie’s Poirot.”
Upon arriving in Istanbul for vacation, Poirot runs into his friend,
Bouc (Tom Bateman), the conductor
of the titular train, the Orient Express. When a telegram arrives from
London demanding that Poirot attend to a case, Bouc offers him a ticket to France on the Orient Express.
Then, the rest of the train’s passengers
gradually come into the picture, such
as the suspicious art dealer Samuel Ratchett (Johnny Depp) and his
secretary Hector MacQueen (Josh
Gad). Depp’s portrayal of the sly and
underhanded Ratchett seems similar
to his phenomenal role as Whitey
Bulger in “Black Mass,” while Gad

EPK.TV

Kenneth Branagh directed the most recent film adaptation of Agatha Christie’s hit novel, “Murder on the Orient Express.”
The film has strong and weak points, but the performances of the actors and the plot of the story help redeem the film.

succeeds in the depiction of his character as a ruthless money-monger.
Judi Dench gracefully bears her role
as the pretentious Princess Dragomiroff, and Olivia Colman embodies
the fearfulness and docility of her
character Hildegarde Schmidt — the
princess’ servant.
Each character’s personality is
kept secret until one passenger is
murdered and Poirot begins ques-

tioning the people on board. Through
Poirot’s interrogations more details
about the passengers emerge, adding
a much-needed spark of curiosity to
the film’s plot.
The first half of the film appears
to move in slow motion as the characters begin to familiarize themselves
with the train and their fellow passengers. At times, the script fails to
add momentum to the storyline, oc-

casionally incorporating phrases that
seem out of place for the film’s 1930s
setting. There’s some unfortunate
product placement — a box of Godiva chocolates is placed within perfect
view of the camera in two scenes —
that’s slightly distracting, especially
considering the product’s packaging
appears a little too modern for the
time period.
While Branagh’s acting skills are

top notch, some of his directorial
decisions are strange and ineffective — especially regarding the film’s
cinematography. Branagh’s decision
to film certain scenes from an aerial
perspective is one that offers no real
advantage, considering it prevents
audiences from seeing emotions
play out on the characters’ faces. Because the camera is looking down on
the characters’ heads when the murder victim is discovered in his room,
the shocking energy of the moment
is insufficient.
Despite the film’s weaknesses,
those unfamiliar with the plot should
be both surprised and adequately entertained by the ending. Perhaps if
Branagh spent more time carefully
crafting the film’s suspense, audiences
would leave with more to mull over
besides a talented cast and an intricate, yet poorly conveyed storyline.
Those expecting an extravagant
set design and beautiful costumes
will be disappointed, as will those
expecting a definite climax. “Murder on the Orient Express” never
seems to reach its full potential,
ungracefully bowing out before
any of the action begins. Before
Poirot has the chance to solve the
case, the film’s uninspiring tone
bars the way for audiences’ amusement. Ultimately, the story fails to
elicit an emotional reaction from
audiences even when the mystery
is revealed. It seems that Branagh
rushed to put his film together,
with his final product appearing
far from done. Nevertheless, the
film’s acting performances and Agatha Christie’s timeless story save
Branagh’s film from heading toward disaster.
“Murder on the Orient Express”
is now playing in theaters in Chicago and nationwide.

Historic A&E anniversaries this week
LUKE HYLAND
lhyland1@luc.edu

Thanksgiving is approaching, which
brings a much-deserved break for
Loyola students. The Phoenix decided
to look back at past events during this
holiday time that shaped modern entertainment. From the debut of Mickey Mouse to one of Hollywood’s most
iconic movies, here are five of this week’s
most important moments in pop culture history.
“Toy Story” premieres: 1995
The film seen as a comforting, nostalgic movie to many millennial viewers is also one of the most important,
groundbreaking movies ever made.
Pixar Studios changed animation going forward when it debuted its first
feature-length film, “Toy Story,” in theaters Nov. 22, 1995.
The first fully computer-animated
movie in history, “Toy Story” captivated critics and audiences alike with its
witty humor, Oscar-nominated script,
star-studded cast and jaw-dropping
animation. No longer were characters
limited by animation against a stagnant, 2-D background. Now, characters could dynamically interact with a
living and breathing environment.
More than 20 years later, “Toy Story” has stood the test of time as one
of Pixar’s most beloved movies and
spawned one of cinema’s most successful franchises.
Elvis makes acting debut: 1956
Sept. 9, 1956, Elvis Presley made his
history-changing appearance on “The
Ed Sullivan Show” and infatuated the
youth of America with his radical new
sound and shaking hips. By winter, he
had secured his place atop the music
charts, revolutionizing rock ’n’ roll.
As his music career began to skyrocket, Presley looked toward a new
frontier: acting. Nov. 15, his first film,

“Love Me Tender,” debuted at the Paramount Theatre in New York City. The
film follows Confederate soldiers at
the end of the Civil War who are ordered to rob passengers on a Union
payroll train.
Presley sang the titular song in the
movie and would continue to sing
throughout the rest of his career in
Hollywood. He appeared in a total of
33 films by the time he stopped acting
and proved his commercial appeal to
producers time and time again. Today,
Presley is remembered as one of the
largest and most influential entertainers in history.
“Guys and Dolls” premieres:
1950
Nearly 70 years ago, writer and
composer Frank Loesser’s new musical,
“Guys and Dolls,” premiered at the Richard Rogers Theatre in New York City
Nov. 24, 1950. Focusing on the lives of
New York gamblers, the musical became
a smash hit with audiences, running for
1,200 performances. “Guys and Dolls”
was as critically acclaimed as it was popular, winning the Tony Award for best
musical in 1950 and the Pulitzer Prize
for Drama in 1951.
To date, the musical has been revived
more than 11 times onstage and adapted
for the big screen in a 1955 film starring
Marlon Brando (“The Godfather,” “On
the Waterfront”), Frank Sinatra (“From
Here to Eternity,” “Ocean’s 11”) and Jean
Simmons (“Spartacus”).
Release of “Casablanca”: 1942
Warner Bros. Studios screened its
new film, “Casablanca,” at the Hollywood
Theatre in New York City before its nationwide release Jan. 23, 1943. The film
follows Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart),
the owner of a nightclub in Casablanca,
Morocco during World War II. When
his ex-lover, Ilsa Lund (Ingrid Bergman),
walks into his club, he must look past
his love for her to help Lund and her

husband, a resistance leader, escape the
French-controlled city.
After audiences heard Bogart utter
the film’s famous closing line for the
first time — “Louis, I believe this is the
beginning of a beautiful friendship” —
“Casablanca” suddenly gained a new,
devoted fan base. The film received
consistent rave reviews and established
itself as an instant classic, and it’s still
considered one of the greatest movies
ever made to this day. Over Thanksgiving break, “Casablanca” will celebrate
its 75th anniversary.
Mickey Mouse is born: 1928
In 1927, a young Walt Disney saw
“The Jazz Singer,” the first film with
synchronized music and dialogue.
After leaving the theater, Disney
committed himself to creating the
first cartoon with fully synchronized
sound, and Nov. 18, 1928, he released
“Steamboat Willie.”
Disney’s cartoon debuted Mickey
Mouse whistling carelessly and piloting
a steamboat down a river before the real
captain of the boat, Pete, suddenly appears on deck to scold him. The premise
is simple, and the story was by no means
Disney’s focus. His aim was to combine
sound and animation in a way never
done before, and his final product bred
the term “Mickey Mousing” — which
refers to the matching of movement to
music. For example, when Pete adjusts
his trousers, a stretching sound exaggerates his motion. While a technique now
taken for granted, “Mickey Mousing”
changed animation forever.
Besides its technical innovation,
“Steamboat Willie” is etched in history
for introducing the world to Mickey
Mouse, an adored character that quickly
became the face of one of the largest and
most dominant businesses in entertainment. Beloved by children and adults
alike, Mickey Mouse remains one of the
most iconic and recognizable characters
ever put on screen.

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Sports

PAGE 14

RAMBLER
RUNDOWN
WSOC: FORD EARNS
ACADEMIC HONOR

NOVEMBER 15, 2017

Senior goalkeeper Maddie Ford
was named as an honorable
mention on the MVC scholarathlete team. This is Ford’s
third scholar-athlete honor.
The biology major has a 3.59
cumulative GPA.

MBB: RAMBLERS
OPEN SEASON 2-0
In the first two games of the 2017
Loyola men’s basketball season,
the Ramblers went 2-0, beating
Wright State University 84-80
and Eureka College 96-69. Firstyear Cameron Krutwig scored
17 points in his collegiate debut.

WBB: RAMBLERS FALL
TO FORT WAYNE IN
SEASON OPENER
The Loyola women’s basketball
team started its season away
against Indiana University
Purdue University-Fort Wayne.
The Ramblers lost 79-70 and
were led by first-year Kailyn
Strawbridge, who scored 32
points in her first college game.

Loyola’s women’s basketball head coach is in her second season at the helm. She’s trying to rebuild the program after former head coach Sheryl Swoopes was fired.

HENRY REDMAN
hredman@luc.edu

The Loyola women’s basketball team
is rebuilding, which can be a long and
painful process that takes years. While
head coach Kate Achter tries to “turn
the ship” of the team by creating a new
culture in the locker room, she can
find inspiration in the Loyola men’s
basketball team, which is seeing the
fruit of head coach Porter Moser’s
culture change.
The team finished last season 2-28
and was picked to finish last in this
year’s Missouri Valley Conference
(MVC) preseason poll.
Achter has been using the phrase
“turn the ship” to describe the process
of getting her team back on track. The
long road to steering a team back to
success isn’t new to Loyola basketball.
In Moser’s first season at the helm of
the men’s team in 2011, the Ramblers
finished 7-23 and were last in the
Horizon League.
The men’s team’s path hasn’t been
a straight line, but the program has
been trending up since Moser arrived
on campus. The Ramblers finished the
2014-15 season with a 24-13 record
and a College Basketball Invitational
championship. They struggled the
following year in 2015-16, going 15-17,
but bounced back in the 2016-17 season
with Moser’s second winning season
with the Ramblers after finishing the
season 18-14.
The turnaround for the men’s team
came when one player arrived on
Loyola’s campus — Milton Doyle.
Moser has credited Doyle with
changing the culture of the men’s
basketball team and showing talented
Chicago area high school players that
Loyola is an option for them.

Achter agrees that Doyle’s presence
on the court helped change the
reputation of Loyola men’s basketball
but she said she doesn’t think Doyle
was an outspoken leader, and her team
needs players who are outspoken.
“Milton’s play certainly spoke for itself
and I don’t think he by any means was
a vocal leader in the locker room, he
would be the first one to tell you that,”
Achter said. “I think we’re more [looking
to] turn the ship by committee.”
Turning the ship by committee
means finding players who are good
people and good students as well as
good basketball players, according
to Achter.
“I think if we can keep getting kids
that represent the values that we want
as a staff and what we want our program
to look like, I think that’s when it turns,”
Achter said.
Achter and her staff are looking for
very specific values in their players
and they recruit for those values just as
much as they recruit for talent.
“[Our players need to] be a great
teammate every single day … playing
for one another is a selfless attribute for
a kid and it’s really hard to do because
teenagers think about themselves,”
Achter said. “We want them to be
selfless, we want them to be tough and
we want them to play really hard with
a lot of effort. Those are things we look
for in the recruiting process.”
The type of players Achter should
be looking for not only need to
be good athletes but also students
who fit within Loyola’s values as
well, according to Loyola Director of
Athletics Steve Watson.
“You hear [Achter] talk about playing
for others. That’s not just a basketball
thing, but a Jesuit thing, as well,”
Watson said. “Her players are as happy

if not happier when one of their
teammates does something good.”
Achter is already finding players
who fit her value system in her second
season as head coach. In the early
signing period of recruits Achter
received commitments from three
players: Allison Day, Maya Dunson and
Janae Gonzalez.
Day was second team all-state for her
Ohio high school where she averaged
a double-double for her career. Achter
described Day’s game as fitting with the
values she wants.
“Allison’s game is as blue collar as
they come,” Achter said in a press
release on Loyola’s athletics website.
“She is a great teammate and leader for
her high school team and coach.”
Achter described Maya Dunson as
a tough player who is never satisfied,
which is another one of the attributes
she is looking for in her players.
“We love her size and versatility,
and feel as though she could play
multiple positions for us,” Achter said
in the press release. “After she verbally
committed to us, she took her game to
a whole new level. She is a kid who is
not satisfied.”
Janae Gonzalez is a guard who
averaged over 17 points a game in
high school, included a 51 point game
in which she made 14 three pointers.
However, her scoring isn’t what Achter
is impressed by; it’s her passing.
“Her basketball IQ is extremely
high, and that comes from being a true
student of the game,” Achter said in
the press release. “She is a wonderful
teammate that finds much joy in
facilitating for others as she does in
finding baskets for herself.”
Every team would love to have
a player similar to Milton Doyle,
Watson said, but he’s unsure if the

Ramblers need one really good player
to become successful.
“Do they need a Milton? They would
love to have a Milton,” Watson said.
“But do you have to have that one
superstar? I don’t know the answer
to that.”
While Achter wants the culture
change to be a group effort, she said
she knows that basketball’s nature is to
highlight players who make the biggest
impact offensively.
“Certainly you’re going to have kids
that stand out offensively and do more
for the program as far as X’s and O’s
are concerned, but culture for us is just
as much a locker room thing,” Achter
said. “We have kids that don’t play a ton
that are really important for us in the
locker room.”
While Achter and her staff are
working to build a strong team culture,
wins and losses aren’t necessarily a good
measure of how much progress the
rebuild has made. This season the team
has three goals: finish in the top five in
the MVC in fewest turnovers per game,
top five in free throw attempts per game
and top five in rebounds.
“If we can do that we can climb out
of the basement. Those are three simple
goals that for us are really effort based,”
Achter said. “If we can do that this year
then our goals change again in the
following year, and we can compete for
the middle half of the league which is
where we’re shooting to be in year three.
In year four maybe we make another
step and year five maybe we’re lucky
enough to say we’re competing to be
top three in the league. But that doesn’t
start year five, it starts today.”
Achter and her team are scheduled
to continue their season in Gentile
Arena Nov. 15 against the University
of Western Michigan.

Loyola athletics announced in a press
release Nov. 10 that it would be starting
a new apparel campaign for fans called
the “Retro Ramblers” collection in
conjunction with the 100th anniversary
of the men’s basketball program.
The new apparel will include old Loyola
logos on apparel, pennants and decals,
among other items, and is now available
for purchase at a kiosk in Gentile Arena
or at the bookstore. The department will
be partnering with Learfield Licensing
Partners for the project, according to the
release, which the department has worked
with in the past.
Tom Sorboro, senior associate
athletic director for external operations,
told The Phoenix that the idea came
about through alumni requests.
“We have a bunch of former logos
— Bo Rambler, the previous wolf and
[the] interlocking LU — that haven’t
been used on apparel or merchandise
in years,” Sorboro said. “We’ve got a

Loyola Athletics

Loyola is featuring old logos in new merchandise the school is selling this year.

lot of feedback from our fans saying
‘I’d love to get some stuff with the
old logos,’ so we’re essentially doing a
throwback collection.”
Sorboro said the idea was created
as a way to help the university and
the athletics department bring in
money from royalties. Loyola works
with Learfield to make sure university
trademarks such as the shield, the word
“Rambler” and the wolf aren’t being

misused. When merchandise with
those logos is sold, the university and
athletics bring in money from royalties.
Sorboro said the project came to
fruition as a way to make more from
licensing, and the fans determined how
that would happen.
“A couple things can really impact
your ability to increase royalty revenue.
The first one is team success. If you win
the NCAA tournament … everybody

[will want] to get some of your gear,”
Sorboro said. “Another way would be
to introduce something new. So either
completely rebranding and introducing
a brand new mark, or bringing back
something that was popular and maybe
hasn’t been in circulation. Based on the
feedback we got from our fans, that’s the
direction that we’ve gone.”
The collection will come in from
multiple brands, including ‘47 Brand.
Sorboro said the fact that bigger
companies are carrying Loyola’s logos
will benefit the department because of
the exposure.
“This is the initial release with just
a couple of the logos. There’s maybe
five or six different logos that will be
available,” Sorboro said. “This first
batch is coming in from ‘47 Brand …
[and] the fact that we’re able to get some
of these companies to be able to carry
our product line is exciting because
it’s a nationally-known retro brand.
Hopefully the combination of the logos
and the quality of the merchandise will
help drive some sales.”

SPORTS 15

NOVEMBER 15, 2017

New kids on the block for Loyola basketball
ABIGAIL SCHNABLE
aschnable@luc.edu

The Loyola men’s basketball team
kicked off its season Nov. 10 with an
84-80 win against Wright State University. While senior guard Donte
Ingram led the scoring, notable contributions from the newcomers helped
the Ramblers pull out a victory.
The Ramblers added three firstyear recruits to the team to make a
roster of 16 players. Christian Negron
began his season with an injury, leaving Cameron Krutwig and Lucas Williamson the only two first-years available to play.
Krutwig played a total of 17 minutes.
He shot 5-7 from the field and grabbed
seven rebounds. Krutwig also had two
assists, one turnover and one block.
“I think Cam Krutwig right now is
the one that’s really in the mix,” head
coach Porter Moser said. “We haven’t
had a true five-man center at Loyola
in a long time and I think he’s going to
fit that role.”
Krutwig said he was nervous
about the transition from Jacobs
High School in Algonquin to college, but his teammates have made
it easier.
“These guys are great. I love them,”
Krutwig said. “It makes it a lot easier
to know that you’re welcomed. Sometimes — on some teams — freshmen
are out of the picture, but on this
team we aren’t like that. We are all
one big family.”
Krutwig said he’s grateful for the camaraderie that playing for Loyola has
brought him. He said the team’s chemistry was evident in its first game.
“It’s pretty exciting, obviously,”
Krutwig said. “Just to know that we are
all on a team together and we are all
here to do the same goal and win and
just keep building chemistry between

us. It’s been pretty good so far.”
Krutwig said he feels he’s brought
a lot to the table and is excited for the
season to kick off. In his first game
he showed he’s a force to be reckoned
with, scoring multiple buckets and
maintaining a strong hold on defense.
“I feel like I’ve brought a voice on
defense,” Krutwig said. “I think that
I’m talking a lot and recognizing what
the other team wants to do. I’m bringing the IQ to the game that every player should have.”
Krutwig’s basketball IQ came out
in his collegiate debut. The Ramblers
were clinging to a second half lead and
were pressured by a full court press
from Wright State. When Krutwig realized the Ramblers were going to be
charged with a 10 second violation for
not getting the ball across midcourt,
he called a timeout, saving the team
from a loss in possession.
“It’s tough because coaches can’t
call timeouts during a live ball,” Moser
said. “So he recognized it and just in
the moment he made a lot of good
plays. He kept his hands on a lot of
plays. He had two really nice assists for
baskets. I expect big things from him.
I love his energy and his passion for
the game.”
Krutwig said he has high hopes for
the season, but he knows it’s not going to be easy — getting to the bigger
tournaments takes work.
“We want to win the [Missouri
Valley Conference] and go to the
NCAA tournament and that’s not going to come by just saying it,” Krutwig
said. “We have to put the work in during practice and games so we can ultimately get there.”
WIlliamson said it was a dream come
true to get to play Division I basketball.
“This has been my dream for 18
years now,” Williamson said. “And for
it all to be coming to [fruition] it’s kind

of shocking but also what I’ve been expecting of myself.”
Williamson was especially happy to
play Division I at Loyola, since he’s lived
in Chicago his entire life. He said it was
important for him to find a school close
to home while being recruited.
“Playing in Chicago, in the city that
I grew up in [made playing at Loyola
special]. It’s shocking, we are playing
in a big city and I love it,” Williamson
said. “I love the culture here and I’m
excited to get the season going.”
Williamson said he’s already
learned so much, but he’s looking forward to seeing what else he can improve on and offer the team.
“I feel like I bring energy and positive mind set to the team,” Williamson
said. “I’m just trying to learn what I can
from the older guys and really take in
what coach [Moser] is saying. I just want

to show up every day willing and ready
to accept what guys have to tell me.”
Moser said he has high hopes for
the first-years and is looking forward
to seeing how they play.
“[I hope they] add depth to the
team,” Moser said. “I think each one
of them is bringing rebounding. With
Krutwig and with Christian Negron,
one of Negron’s strengths is rebounding. We’ve got to get him back, but
when he gets back, it’ll be nice to see
what he can do.”
Negron tore his ACL last September and tore his meniscus in July while
in recovery. He has had surgery for
both and is now undergoing the rehabilitation process.
“Everything feels fine when I’m
working out and everything,” Negron
said. “The only problem is there is
some swelling in my knee so we are

trying to get that down and for the
most part it’s been down a consistent
amount so we are just waiting on
clearance from the doctor.”
Negron said he isn’t going to let his
injury get in the way of his excitement
of playing college basketball.
“It’s every youth basketball player’s
dream [to play Division I],” Negron
said. “To finally be living it just feels
really great and it’s just that much better now that we are getting going with
the season. I just can’t wait to be out
there playing with the team.”
Despite his injury, Negron is hopeful for his first season. He said he
plans on learning a lot from everyone
and using that knowledge to grow as a
player and a person.
“Being an incoming freshman, we
have a great coach with a lot of great
basketball insight,” Negron said. “I
just take everything in that he passes
on to me.”
Like Krutwig, Negron also hopes
to make it to the NCAA tournament.
He grew up watching the tournament
and said it would be amazing if the
team made it.
“It would be crazy [to make the
NCAA tournament]. A lot of people
watch it,” Negron said. “It’s just one of
those times where the moment is so
special when you’re playing in it and it
would be a dream come true.”
While Negron hopes they make it
that far, he said he’s also just grateful
to play as a Rambler.
“It’s something really special,” Negron said. “Loyola is a school in the state
of Illinois, where I’m from. When I committed and as I got to know the school
more and represent what the school is
about, there came a sense of pride with
it. It’s just a really good feeling.”
The Ramblers are scheduled to play
Nov. 16 against University of Missouri
Kansas City in Kansas City.

HYPE: Postseason expectations not Loyola signs three recruits
getting in the way for Ramblers
HENRY REDMAN
hredman@luc.edu

The Loyola men’s basketball team
announced in a press release it signed
three recruits in the November early
signing period. Center Franklin Agunanne, guard Isaiah Bujdoso and
guard Cooper Kaifes.
Agunanne is a 6-foot-9 center who
has a wingspan of more than seven
feet. He played high school basketball
with La Lumiere School in LaPorte, Indiana, winning a national championship in 2016.
Bujdoso is a 6-foot-3 guard who averaged eight points a game at Macnab
secondary school in Hamilton, Ontario. With a wingspan five inches longer
than his body he will be an elite defender in the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC), according to head coach

continued from page 1
This season, the Ramblers are
focused on increasing their depth
and advancing their defense. Moser
said he believes having a strong rotation is important for winning the
MVC championship.
“We have to develop our depth,”
Moser said. “To win a conference tournament you’ve got to win three games
in three days. It is very hard to play five
or six guys. We have got to get where
we trust a [nine or 10 man] rotation.
I think the teams that have won that
three games in three days really have
a nine-man rotation and can go deep.”
Sophomore guards Cameron Satterwhite and Bruno Skokna are two
players Moser said will help contribute
to the depth of the team. In two games
Satterwhite had 15 points and eight rebounds while Skokna had three points
with four rebounds. Moser said he
hopes they can step up their game and
be mentally prepared for the positions
they need to fill, despite their age.
“They just mentally have got to be
a year older,” Moser said. “They were
[first-years] last year and it’s a big
step for them not to make [first-year]
mistakes. They have to be wiser [and]
better, and I am counting on it. If they
really step up you are going to see us
have a really good guard rotation.”
Moser said this year’s recruiting
class is the strongest in his time at
Loyola. Although first-year forward
Christian Negron and junior guard
Adarius Avery haven’t seen any playing
time due to injuries, first-year Cameron Krutwig and Lucas Williamson have
impressed their new teammates.
“The [first-years] have come in and
they have been working hard,” senior
guard Ben Richardson said. “I think

Steve Woltmann Loyola Athletics

Aundre Jackson scored four points in the opener against Wright State University.

they have integrated well with us and
I think each guy is going to find their
role as the season goes on. We have
some really talented [first-years] that
can do a lot and I think people are going to be impressed with how advanced
they are for [first-years]. I think they
can bring a lot to the table this year.”
With the season just beginning, the
team has high hopes for its success. Ingram said the goal is to win the MVC
tournament, which is what they’re
working toward all season.
“We have those talks in the preseason and obviously everybody in

the conference wants to be conference champions,” Ingram said. “We
are just trying to work day in and
day out [thinking about] how we
are going to accomplish that goal
and little milestones we are going to
achieve, [such as] getting better defensively and holding teams under a
certain percentage.”
The Ramblers have started out the
season 2-0 with victories over Wright
State University and Eureka College.
They are scheduled to travel to Kansas
City, Missouri to face the University of
Missouri-Kansas City Nov. 16.

Porter Moser.
Kaifes is a 6-foot-3 guard who will
add shooting ability to the Rambler
lineup, according to Moser. At Mill Valley High School in Shawnee, Kansas, he
averaged 21 points per game.
The early signing period for NCAA
men’s basketball runs Nov. 8-15. In the
signing period, players are allowed to
sign National Letters of Intent (NLI)
with the school they’ve chosen.
NLI’s are binding agreements between the school and the athlete and
serves as a written agreement that the
player will attend the institution for
one academic year and the institution
will pay an athletic scholarship for one
academic year. The penalty for students leaving the school is sitting out
one full season.
All three players will make their debut in the 2018-19 season.

Currently sitting at 4-23 (3-13), the
Loyola women’s volleyball team has
tried to find small ways to improve in
a season unkind to the Ramblers.
Some growth has been seen out
of the Ramblers as the season has
gone on. The team had a two-game
conference winning streak against
Southern Illinois University (3-1)
and Bradley University (3-2). The
two wins during the streak were the
team’s first Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) victories of the season
and its first wins since its Sept. 3 victory against Samford University.
“In this later stage of conference
play we’re seeing improvement in both
the amount of points we’re scoring and
our error percentages,” head coach
Chris Muscat said. “We’ve become
more competitive because we’ve been
able to convert more of these chances
while keeping our errors and mistakes
to a minimum, something we really
struggled with early in the season.”
This slight improvement comes after a period in conference play when
the team struggled to win sets, let alone
games. The team was shutout in seven
of their 14 games of conference play so
far. The Ramblers had many missed
opportunities this season, only converting on 14 percent of their attack
chances this year compared to 24.3 percent from their opponents. Muscat has
linked this issue to inconsistency.
“We need to find more consistency
in our game,” Muscat said. “There’s
times where different parts of the way
we play are clicking and others are
still finding the way through sets and
through matches and playing together
and continuing to learn is the only way
we will improve and iron out these

Hanako Maki The PHOENIX

The Loyola women’s volleyball team is last in the Missouri Valley Conference in six categories: hitting percentage, assists, kills, blocks, opponent service aces and digs.

problems to find consistency.”
Now with just two regular season
matches remaining — against Southern Illinois University and Missouri
State University — the team hopes to
finish strong in order to to qualify for
the MVC conference tournament in
Normal Nov. 23-25.
“As a team, we’re just trying to figure it out together and we’re hoping to
use the rest of the conference season to
get it together before the MVC tournament,” junior defensive specialist

Maddy Moser said.
Along with hope for success at the
conference tournament, the team has
already set its sights on next season
with goals to compete for the MVC
championship with its juniors who
gained valuable experience this year,
according to Muscat.
“I think we can really keep growing with the core that’s in place now so
we can really turn the corner next year
with so much experience and leadership from this group. But right now it’s

As expected, the Bulls have had a
lackluster season so far. They’re 2-9
on the season, and the only reason
they’re not last in the Eastern Conference standings is because the Atlanta
Hawks have played, and lost, three
more games.
While the product on the court
hasn’t been worth writing about, the
events off the court have been far
more interesting. On Oct. 17, forward
Bobby Portis punched fellow big-man
Nikola Mirotic in the face, leaving
Mirotic hospitalized. The team announced he would be out indefinitely
with multiple facial fractures. However, Mirotic returned to practice Nov.
12, but avoided Portis. I would do the
same thing if I was in his position.
Portis received an eight-game suspension, which he returned from Nov. 7.
Despite Portis throwing the lone
sucker-punch, Bulls players and front

office members sided with him over
the battered Mirotic. Executive Vice
President of Basketball Operations
John Paxson said after the incident that
Portis is “not a bad person” and “he’s a
good kid … [who] made a mistake.”
I would agree, punching a teammate in the face during practice is a
pretty big mistake. But I don’t understand why the team sided with the
player who threw the punch rather
than the player who had to go to the
hospital. Maybe I hold players to higher standards than I should, but I expected an ESPN alert to come over my
phone saying Portis would be released.
That’s what I would have done.
Sure, Portis has come back strong
— he put up double-doubles in his first
two games back — but I still stand by
my thoughts on his release. The Bulls
already have a locker room problem.
That’s been happening since former
coach Tom Thibodeau got fired. Keeping Portis and his temper around isn’t
going to solve anything.
I’ve criticized the front office duo
of Paxson and general manager (GM)
Gar Forman, better known as “GarPax,” in the past about their decisions
during the rebuild. The Portis-Mirotic
decision is one that stands out. Another decision was when the Bulls traded
the rights to second-round pick Jordan Bell to the Golden State Warriors
for $5 million on draft night June 22.
That $5 million went to the buyout
of former guard Dwyane Wade, who
ended up signing with the Cleveland
Cavaliers. So, the Bulls didn’t come
away with anything from the Bell
trade. It just softened the blow from
the Wade buyout. Meanwhile, Bell’s
highlights fill Twitter timelines and
remind Bulls fans of what could have
been. Every time I see a tweet with
one of his dunks, I retweet it and comment “Five. Million. Dollars.” to show

my displeasure with “GarPax’s” decision to give Bell away to the defending
NBA champions.
So far this season, Bell has played
in 11 games and is averaging 3.5 points
per game and is shooting 70.7 percent
(19-of-27) from the field. While he
only averages 8.9 minutes per game,
this kid is exciting to watch. He regularly throws down exciting dunks and
looks like he’s having the time of his
life. Bell sounds like my ideal player
for a rebuild. He’s someone who could
come off the bench and provide some
excitement to the game.
The most shocking thing, to me,
that has come out about the Bulls in
the last month is that recently-hired
Senior Adviser Doug Collins is questioning the leadership in the front office, specifically Forman. If one would
recall, I wrote a column about how
Collins should be promoted to GM
and owner Jerry Reinsdorf should
show Forman the door. With this
report coming out, I can say I feel a
sense of pride in the potential of being right about the future of the Bulls’
front office.
The rest of the rebuild will be interesting to watch. First-round draft
pick Lauri Markkanen has put up impressive numbers in his first few NBA
games. He’s performed so well that
head coach Fred Hoiberg has decided
to keep him in the starting lineup despite Portis’ return. With guard Kris
Dunn starting to find his stride and
the return of guard Zach LaVine from
a torn ACL on the horizon, the young
core will be able to grow over time.
I should also add that all three
of those players came over when the
Bulls traded guard Jimmy Butler to the
Minnesota Timberwolves in a draft
day trade. Who wrote about how that
trade would end up benefitting the
Bulls? Yours truly.

about trusting the process,” Moser said.
The team’s struggles this year have
been related to its lack of seniors on
the roster without a single four-year
player on the team. This problem has
plagued the team to its 4-23 record
this season as it attempts to replace
last year’s group of seniors, including
Morgan Reardon and Sami Hansen.
With a crop of seven juniors
who’ve started for the team at least one
season, the Ramblers hope this season’s struggles can help propel them

to MVC success next season with the
group’s progression.
“With our core going forward this
season and next the key has to be putting it all together for longer periods of
time and finding the consistency we’ve
lacked at times this year, as to be a great
team you need streaks that win sets and
in turn win matches,” Muscat said.
The Ramblers’ season is scheduled to continue Nov. 17 against
Southern Illinois University at 7
p.m. in Gentile Arena.